The maker of Jack Daniel’s whiskey said that the company will be doing away with its DEI initiatives after customers raised concerns and threatened a boycott.
Alcohol conglomerate Brown-Forman Corp became the latest company to axe its diversity, equity and inclusion program. The move comes after a number of brands with right-leaning customer bases — including Tractor Supply, Harley Davidson and the John Deere Company — announced similar moves.
Jack Daniel’s found themselves under the microscope after conservative commentator and filmmaker Robby Starbuck drew attention to the Tennessee-based company’s DEI initiatives. In an X post, Starbuck revealed that the whiskey giant was the next brand he wanted to draw attention to, though the company opted to preemptively end its DEI program in order to avert a boycott.
In an email to employees, the company announced that it will be ending participation with the Human Rights Center’s Corporate Equity Index, which gives businesses grades based on their commitment to left-wing causes and acts as a form of corporate social credit score.
Jack Daniel’s will also be ensuring that promotions are based on merit rather than race or gender-based hiring quotas, an end to “quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions,” as well