Conservative media cry fowl after Chick-fil-A embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion

Since the company unveiled its new commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), right-wing media figures have been dogpiling on Chick-fil-A in what they perceive as the latest corporation going “woke.”

Earlier this week, right-wing media figures took notice of a new page on fast food chain Chick-fil-A’s website about DEI and the company’s previously unnoticed November 2021 hiring of a vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The site notes that through the organization’s DEI efforts, Chick-fil-A aims to uphold its corporate promise “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us [and] to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A” by “ensuring equal access,” “valuing differences,” and “creating a culture of belonging.”

In recent years, conservative media figures have railed against DEI initiatives, which they use interchangeably with the term “critical race theory” to criticize any institutional efforts aiming to acknowledge and address systemic oppression. The manufactured right-wing panic about CRT and DEI has even led some Republicans to push legislation banning DEI at the state level using a framework created by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank.