Corporate America got the memo. DEI was becoming politically radioactive. ESG was taking incoming fire. The word “woke” had gone from a corporate badge of honor to something executives increasingly wanted nowhere near the quarterly earnings call.
So did the policies disappear?
Consumers’ Research says: Not so fast.
The conservative advocacy group released a report Friday naming eight companies it says demonstrate that the corporate retreat from progressive policies is considerably less dramatic than advertised.
“7Eleven, Carhartt, DraftKings, Duluth Trading Co, Traeger, Bank of America, BlackRock, and Nike are evidence Woke is still alive and well in corporate America,” the group declared.
Now, stay with me, because the argument here isn’t simply that these companies still have diversity policies. Consumers’ Research is making a more specific charge: Some corporations may have changed the vocabulary without substantially changing what they’re doing.
“Woke companies want you to believe they’ve moved on, but don’t be fooled,” Executive Director Will Hild said.
Hild argues that corporate America learned a lesson from the backlash, just not necessarily the lesson its critics wanted. According to him, terms such as DEI can be replaced with words like “belonging,” while the programs continue under different organizational structures.
“Changing job titles, rebranding DEI as belonging, and calling ‘Woke 1’ crazy shouldn’t distract from the fact that wokeness in corporate America isn’t dead, they’ve just gotten quieter about it,” Hild said.
“Woke 1 was crazy…” pic.twitter.com/RAro2xfVMp
— Will Hild (@WillHild) August 28, 2026
And Consumers’ Research brought receipts from the companies’ own public materials.
Start with 7-Eleven.
There’s no complicated linguistic detective work required here. Its website explicitly says: “We strive for equality and are committed to taking bold action when it comes to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”
The company says its strategy includes creating an inclusive workplace culture, cultivating diverse talent and affecting the communities it serves. Its 2025 Impact Report also celebrates its “wonderfully diverse employees.”
Then there’s Carhartt.
Consumers’ Research blasted the workwear company for promoting Todd Corley, formerly senior vice president of inclusion and sustainability, to chief people and impact officer. The advocacy group colorfully described the move as putting Carhartt’s “chief woke enforcer in charge of HR and workplace culture.”
That’s Consumers’ Research’s characterization, obviously. But the personnel move itself is part of the group’s case that the infrastructure surrounding these initiatives remains in place.
Duluth Trading Co. gets similar treatment.
The company says every employee participates in diversity, equity and inclusion training and discusses “inclusive talent recruitment” on its “Humanity” webpage.
And then we arrive at DraftKings, where the vocabulary starts getting interesting.
The sports-betting company promotes “Global Belonging,” while Consumers’ Research accuses it of repackaging DEI as “Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging.”
DEI. IEB. Shuffle the letters, change the heading, call the branding department.
But what does DraftKings itself say?
In a 2023 sustainability report, CEO Jason Robins wrote that the company had continued prioritizing ESG issues and had advanced initiatives involving “responsible gaming, corporate social responsibility, and diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The company also announced this year that it received a “Best Places to Work” award from Built In, whose criteria include DEI programs along with flexible work arrangements and other workplace offerings.
Traeger Grills is another company where Consumers’ Research sees a change in terminology.
In its 2024 proxy statement, Traeger referred directly to its “formal Diversity Equity and Inclusion Policy.” Consumers’ Research says the company later moved toward the phrase “inclusion and belonging” in its 2025 annual report.
Traeger also evaluates wood suppliers using environmental and social criteria through its Sustainable Wood Sourcing Policy. The policy can require corrective-action plans before the company continues working with particular suppliers.
Then come three corporate names that have been in this fight before: Bank of America, BlackRock and Nike.
Consumers’ Research attacked Bank of America over its climate policies, pointing to the bank’s commitment to net-zero emissions before 2050 and its previously announced goal of mobilizing $1 trillion by 2030 toward a low-carbon economy.
The advocacy group calls that a “radical climate agenda.”
Bank of America describes it as environmental sustainability.
That difference in terminology is pretty much the political fight in miniature.
BlackRock has made a more obvious organizational change. The giant asset manager reportedly folded its DEI operation into its broader “Talent and Culture” department.
Consumers’ Research isn’t buying that as evidence of a fundamental retreat. It points to BlackRock’s employment language covering categories including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation and genetic information as evidence that policies associated with its former DEI structure remain part of the company’s approach.
And finally, Nike.
Consumers’ Research targeted the sportswear company’s “Be True” campaign and its “No Pride, No Sport” initiative, particularly over LGBTQ issues and transgender participation in athletics.
Nike’s own Be True page says, “All identities, bodies, and communities have the right to pursue their health and wellness goals safely, without concern or judgment.”
