Conservative leaders, lawmakers, and activists will gather in downtown Nashville on Friday as The Daily Wire and Young America’s Foundation launch the ‘Freedom at 250’ national tour, an event aimed at celebrating constitutional governance amid national unrest.
The rally, titled the “Freedom at 250: Its Defense Requires Action” tour kickoff, is expected to draw a capacity crowd of young conservatives and will feature remarks headlined by Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee and Daily Wire host Michael Knowles.
Organizers say they intend to emphasize support for constitutional government, the rule of law, and civic responsibility amid a wave of protests and unrest that has erupted in cities across the country in recent weeks. Young America’s Foundation President and former Wisconsin GOP Governor Scott Walker said the event is meant to serve as a response to what he described as “well‑funded left‑wing agitation,” citing recent protests in Minnesota that have disrupted federal immigration enforcement operations.
“As America approaches its 250th anniversary, this rally stands as a call to uphold the rule of law and the timeless principles our Founding Fathers fought to establish,” Walker said, adding that the Nashville event would highlight “ordered liberty, civic responsibility, and a nation grounded in law.”
Local left-wing activist groups have announced plans to stage a counter-protest, underscoring the sharp political divide surrounding the event.
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, one of the headline speakers of the rally, said the gathering reflects a broader effort to equip young conservatives to confront what he characterized as ideological intimidation on college campuses and in public life. 
“The radical Left has stopped trying to win arguments and started relying on intimidation and outright violence,” Knowles said. “That’s why it matters that students are equipped with the intellectual tools they need to prevail in a hostile culture.”
Knowles referenced prior disruptions at his events by left-wing activists, saying he would continue to speak publicly despite threats of protest. 
The Nashville rally marks the first stop on a yearlong tour combining Young America’s Foundation’s campus outreach efforts with The Daily Wire’s media platform. Organizers say future events will focus on engaging young Americans on issues of constitutional governance, American history, and cultural influence.
In addition to Gov. Lee and former Gov. Walker, speakers scheduled to appear include Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan; filmmaker and activist Robby Starbuck; former Green Beret Nick Freitas; and country music artist Lee Greenwood. Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips will serve as emcee.
Ahead of the rally, Young America’s Foundation is also hosting a free student-activist training session aimed at equipping conservative students with organizing and advocacy skills.
The Nashville Freedom Rally will take place on Friday from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. CT.

MixCollage-29-Nov-2023-04-02-PM-8528

The Daily Wire, Young America’s Foundation Set To Celebrate ‘Freedom At 250’ In Nashville On Friday

Lee Greenwood

Michael Knowles

Nashville

Rally

Robby Starbuck

Tennessee

The Daily Wire

Young America's Foundation

Woke is on the run.
The cultural scourge has stifled free thought, promoted hard Left extremism and corrupted the arts. Now, the pendulum is finally starting to swing in the opposite direction.
As Justine Bateman eloquently <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/justine-bateman-feels-she-breathe-135914542.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL59qaEAl5oQrn9Sbhjt_qu8fKo-iKLly0Qx1-59i0ZovkUgRNIkxBmkeb-90BXJs3RGFTKYXYPTw_0PpiYQZ4TC2vvcuf68E0zkXRjgeC_GgEgtbOqvca4Zg9u6iEw0q-H7gvODkFclXkVCbMI5yfWMT2bU8ni8NIdlhYRwH5Zd">put it</a>, it’s like we can all breathe again.
Woke may have been destined to crash and burn on its own. It’s antithetical to the American spirit and goes against basic biology. Plus, it’s often meted out in a cruel, hypocritical two-tier fashion.
Hunter Biden <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/08/hunter-biden-repeatedly-called-his-white-lawyer-the-n-word-texts-show/">repeatedly texts</a>  the &#8220;n-word&#8221; — zero punishment. Morgan Wallen calls a white friend the “n-word” in a private moment caught on tape – his career implodes overnight. 
Yet, over the past decade we&#8217;ve witnessed a number of brave souls stand up to the woke onslaught. While there are many on team sanity who deserve a shout out — including the voices at The Daily Wire — here are seven culture warriors who hastened woke’s demise and deserve a curtain call.
<h3>Robby Starbuck</h3>
<div id="attachment_901451" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-901451" class="size-large wp-image-901451" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Untitled-design-32-1024x576.jpg" alt="Conservative influencer Robby Starbuck prior to an interview in New York, US, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025." width="1024" height="576" />Bess Adler/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
The filmmaker/activist became the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-robby-starbuck-joins-heritage-foundation-to-continue-fight-against-woke-corporations?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Robby+Starbuck+Joins+Heritage+Foundation+To+Continue+Fight+Against+Woke+Corporations">one person</a> woke companies fear more than anyone else. Starbuck’s crusade to expose corporate shenanigans, like excessive DEI policies, proved shockingly effective in recent years.
Just ask <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/11/27/robby-starbuck-influencer-dei-walmart">Walmart, Target, John Deere, Harley Davidson</a> and more.
A single social media post from Starbuck could send company executives into damage control mode. Sunlight remains the best disinfectant.
Starbuck brings the receipts, too. His recent <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1958868634287161604">exposé on Cracker Barrel</a>, coming on the heels of the brand’s calamitous logo “update,” proved he isn’t done spotlighting woke on steroids.
<h3>Jennifer Sey</h3>
<div id="attachment_457893" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457893" class="size-large wp-image-457893" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-384x576.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Courtesy of Jennifer Sey</div>
The former gymnast defied her woke overlords at Levi’s and lost, if only on the surface. Sey left her job as Global Brand President after speaking out against pandemic school closures. The woke company demanded she toe the line and not share her opinion publicly. She refused.
She could have licked her wounds or stayed silent. Not Sey. The Colorado resident rolled up her sleeves and kept fighting. She assembled a team to create a documentary detailing just how punishing lockdowns proved for millions of kids, even as we weren’t always allowed to admit it aloud. That upcoming documentary, “Generation-Covid,” is just part of her anti-woke agenda.
She also created XX-XY Athletics, a clothing brand designed for women, not biological men living as women. Her company speaks out against trans women in women’s sports, helping strike a blow against a movement that often shames citizens into silence.
Now, the tide is turning on the subject, with more Americans allowed to speak their minds. Sey helped make that happen.
<h3>Elon Musk</h3>
<div id="attachment_902957" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-902957" class="size-large wp-image-902957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111-864x576.jpg" alt="A portrait picture of Elon Musk photographed in Krakow, Poland on January 22nd, 2024 and X, former Twitter, logo are screened for illustration photo in Krakow, Poland on October 25, 2024." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2180240111.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images</div>
He may be “frenemies” with a certain world leader these days, but Musk struck a mighty blow against woke by buying Twitter. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-bought-twitter-over-free-speech-concerns-media-groupthink-2022-12">Partly inspired</a> by the platform’s attack on The Babylon Bee and other free speech punishments, Musk took over and restored many censored accounts. His new, streamlined X let free speech reign anew. Suddenly, users didn’t have to self-censor for fear their unwoke opinions could cost them their digital voice.
The platform is far from perfect, but under Musk’s control, it’s a vastly superior product and a woke-free zone.
<h3>Christopher Rufo</h3>
<div id="attachment_877257" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-877257" class="size-large wp-image-877257" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Untitled-design-33-1024x576.jpg" alt="Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist and New College of Florida trustee, walks through protestors on his way out of a bill signing event featuring Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed three education bills on the campus of New College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla. on Monday, May 15, 2023." width="1024" height="576" />Photo by Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post via Getty Images</div>
Starbuck may be corporate America’s worst nightmare, but Rufo offers a similar service for academics gone wild. Rufo’s relentless pressure campaigns, and fact-based measures, proved highly effective in recent years.
Rufo helped expose former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/claudine-gay-who-resigned-due-to-plagiarism-allegations-to-teach-reading-and-research-class-at-harvard-in-fall">plagiarism scandal</a>, but that’s just a fraction of his recent activism. Here, he describes why he <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/conservative-activist-christopher-rufo-on-his-push-to-scrutinize-higher-education">focuses his attention</a> on Ivy League institutions.
“They&#8217;re promoting from their central administrations racial discrimination, scapegoating and even segregation.”
In some cases, they “were” promoting all of the above. Rufo gets results.
<h3>J.K. Rowling</h3>
<div id="attachment_913089" style="width: 828px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-913089" class="size-large wp-image-913089" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling-818x576.jpg" alt="JK Rowling" width="818" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling-818x576.jpg 818w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling-300x211.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling-768x541.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/JK-Rowling.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 818px) 100vw, 818px" />Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images</div>
Many celebrities, even the biggest stars in the galaxy, stand down under intense woke pressure. Remember how <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/07/rub-and-tug-tv-show-our-lady-j?srsltid=AfmBOooqto0TGS1QBSZKn_jSJCQPHkCoAhh3bv_wnxbTxhD4YsIThjEW">Scarlett Johansson buckled</a> rather than accept a role playing a trans character?
Not Rowling. The “Harry Potter” author, an old-school progressive, began <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/j-k-rowling-hilariously-shreds-transgender-activist-over-bra-fitting-boast">questioning</a> elements of the trans agenda in 2020. That put her squarely in the Left’s cross-hairs, and she’s remained there ever since.
Death threats. Endless cultural cancelations. Serial attacks from the same Legacy Media outlets that once praised her ability to inspire young readers.
And Rowling refused to back down. That posture, combined with the work Sey has done on trans matters, allowed others to speak out against biological men in women’s sports.
<h3>Joe Rogan</h3>
<div id="attachment_909823" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-909823" class="size-large wp-image-909823" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-1024x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: Joe Rogan Experience #2303. Dave Smith and Douglas Murray. PowerfulJRE. YouTube.com" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-04-07-PM-2073-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot: Joe Rogan Experience/YouTube.com</div>
Rogan&#8217;s relentless curiosity, eagerness to let so many voices share his platform, and his dedication to an open, long-form conversation has given free speech a major boost. 
Even more important, Rogan had a change of heart regarding one potential guest. Two years ago, Rogan seemed disinterested in chatting up former President Donald Trump.
Then, as he watched the Democratic Party stifle speech across the culture, he realized his platform could give Trump a boost in the 2024 presidential campaign. It’s likely why other rebel comics did the same with the Trump-Vance ticket, from Andrew Schulz to Tim Dillon.
<h3>President Donald Trump</h3>
<div id="attachment_942191" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-942191" class="size-large wp-image-942191" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639-865x576.jpg" alt="President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One outside the White House on July 1, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2222437639.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images</div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIF2rdXnpMo">“Everything woke turns to s***,”</a> The 45th and 47th president once said, slicing through the noise to make perfect sense. He’s right, of course, and he helped make woke retreat to its current, cornered state.
The president’s frank talk, blustery persona and eagerness to speak sans filter did more than burnish his brand. He gave us permission to do the same, to shoot straight and take the consequences.
Plus, he used his executive orders to protect female athletes against biological male competitors and doubled down on Rufo’s efforts to rein in woke colleges. His anti-DEI initiatives will be part of his legacy, no doubt.
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Woke is far from gone, despite the work of these culture warriors. Some companies and schools are using sleight-of-hand techniques to keep on discriminating on the basis of race and gender.
The disgraced Gay is still teaching students at Harvard.
Hollywood will keep making movies about five-foot-nothing women beating up men double their size. Gender and race-swapped stories won’t fade to black like 3D movies and found footage shockers.
Still, woke has taken body blow after body blow. And these powerful figures threw some of the heaviest punches.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Seven Culture Warriors Who Put Woke On The Run

Christopher Rufo

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

J.K. Rowling

Joe Rogan

Twitter

Woke Culture

It’s not an exaggeration to say that conservative shareholder engagement is changing the corporate game. For years, Left-wing activists controlled the agendas at our largest companies, using not only their leverage as stockholders but their perpetual devotion to activism to get in the ear of America’s boards and directors. The result? Leftward drift in virtually every major company. But now conservative shareholders, from ordinary investors to major conservative nonprofits, are stepping into the game — and their engagements are bearing major fruit. The latest proof? IBM.
IBM’s track record on corporate bias and activism is notorious. The company was a member of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a group created by the World Federation of Advertisers that worked to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wire-addresses-the-ad-industry-following-the-fall-of-garm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keep ad revenue away</a> from conservative news sites like the Daily Wire to free speech-centric platforms like X. And that’s before all the DEI concerns surfaced. After IBM CEO Arvind Krishna was caught on a <a href="https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/1734374423124176944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1734374423124176944%7Ctwgr%5E42e55266e59ec08d85550be6ab044097866bd072%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdallasexpress.com%2Fbusiness-markets%2Fceo-of-tech-corp-ibm-enshrines-dei-hiring%2F">hot mic</a> discussing how the company uses quotas of ‘underrepresented’ minorities in determining their executive pay — in Krishna’s words, execs have “got to move both [race and gender] forward by a percentage point” in order to get a higher bonus. That means DEI. That means quotas. Following these snafus, the reputational, ethical, and (in the case of the Missouri AG who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/missouri-attorney-general-sues-tech-giant-ibm-alleging-discrimination-against-whites-asians-men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> IBM) legal scrutiny was swift in coming.
IBM’s motto since its early years has been “THINK,” referring to the innovative spirit with which the company solves problems. Yet when it came to political bias, that motto was missing in action — and shareholders took notice. In January, the firm I work for, Bowyer Research, began <a href="https://www.heritage.org/press/heritage-foundation-expands-efforts-hold-corporate-america-accountable-end-its-discriminatory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">work</a> with the Heritage Foundation to hold IBM accountable for the DEI quotas that Krishna described. The argument? Simple — use of non-meritocratic quotas based on race and gender aren’t just bad for reputation, but illegal on their face and bad for business. Shareholders, from major nonprofits to ordinary mom-and-pop investors, shouldn’t have their business returns impacted by IBM’s belief in identity politics.
As the shareholder engagement heated up on the internal front, pressure from <a href="https://lunduke.locals.com/post/5515346/the-ibm-red-hat-leaks-what-weve-learned-so-far" target="_blank" rel="noopener">journalists</a> and <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1910425361034383545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">influencers</a> like Robby Starbuck increased on the external front. That pressure built and built — and the release began earlier this month, when IBM announced the end of many of its DEI initiatives and related goals, including the elimination of its diversity council, the phaseout of its supplier diversity initiatives, and no longer participating in surveys put out by radical corporate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-radical-intolerance-behind-woke-corporate-activism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">activist groups</a> like the Human Rights Campaign, which pressures companies to cover puberty blocker access for employees’ children in the name of “health care access.”
That would have been news enough — until several days ago, when IBM also <a href="https://www.heritage.org/press/heritage-foundation-secures-commitment-viewpoint-neutrality-ibm-encourages-company" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a> to include viewpoint neutrality as part of its advertising policy in response to Heritage’s shareholder engagement. That means that biased, activist-driven, political censorship that ad cartels like GARM perpetuate is now explicitly banned under IBM corporate policy. IBM listened to its shareholders, its employees, and its customers — and the result is another company willing to make commitments to political neutrality. This is what happens when authentic shareholder advocacy, championing political neutrality, merges with external pressure to drop corporate bias: change happens, and happens in the form of concrete policy commitments, not just boilerplate PR statements. It’s a praiseworthy step.
But is the scrutiny over? Absolutely not. IBM needs to demonstrate that they’re committed to actually staying the course on being politically-neutral and quota-free. Outstanding questions remain. During our engagement on behalf of Heritage, the company <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/corpfin/no-action/14a-8/heritageibm3325-14a8.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notably claimed</a> to the SEC that they couldn’t give a definition of DEI as grounds to ignore shareholder concerns — so how did they go from not knowing what DEI is to getting rid of it? (You can probably guess how.) The company holds its annual meeting of shareholders today, and if they’re savvy will make a point of focusing their messaging on business, not activism.
Achieving the commitment to neutrality at IBM was the result of a myriad of groups, from shareholders like Heritage to <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/sec-sides-with-adf-denies-absurd-attempt-from-govt-contractor-ibm-to-hide-from-shareholders-on-dei-proposal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal giants</a> like Alliance Defending Freedom to the courageous IBM employees willing to speak out about the bias behind the scenes. And it’s going to take all of those groups to be vigilant now — not paying attention to our boardrooms is what got us into the woke mess in the first place.
This is the next phase of rooting out bias and wokeness from corporate America — watching tirelessly to see whether companies that commit to ditching DEI are actually willing to put their messaging and money where their mouths are. Smart companies will be willing to commit to change. Foolish ones will hope to either avoid scrutiny altogether or reintroduce the same tired DEI policies under the guise of <a href="https://www.shrm.org/executive-network/insights/time-to-add-b-for-belonging-to-workplace-dei-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">phrases</a> like “belonging.” It’s our job, as shareholders, as customers, and as Americans, to keep up the pressure for accountability with the leverage that we’ve been given. And above all, to make the case for what truly makes every company successful: the courage to resist activism and the fortitude to focus on business.
* * *
Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN, and The Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacWillour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@IsaacWillour</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Traders On The Floor Of The New York Stock Exchange As Fed Chair Powell Holds New Conference

IBM Rolls Back DEI, Commits To Political Neutrality

Business

Diversity

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Dow Jones

GARM

Heritage Foundation

Human Rights Campaign

Opinion

Stock Market

Wall Street

Conservative activist Robby Starbuck is joining the Heritage Foundation as a visiting fellow, where he’ll lead an effort encouraging corporations to drop left-wing ideologies, and instead, prioritize merit.
Starbuck, who has led successful <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pure-lunacy-robby-starbuck-on-exposing-dei-in-corporate-america">campaigns</a> to get corporations like Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Harley Davidson, John Deere, Jack Daniels, and even Walmart to ditch the left-wing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda, explained how he will continue the fight at the Heritage Foundation.
“I am thrilled to join The Heritage Foundation to help lead the charge in pushing back against the dangerous rise of woke DEI and ESG policies that undermine American values,” Starbuck said. “These harmful initiatives have no place in our businesses or institutions, and I’m committed to advancing policies that prioritize merit, free enterprise, and individual freedom over divisive ideologies.&#8221;
Starbuck will lead Heritage’s capital markets initiative, which the organization says will be dedicated to encouraging aligned organizations to reshape corporate America, encouraging corporations to prioritize ethics and merit while dropping left-wing ideologies like DEI.
“It’s time to restore common sense and accountability to the workplace, and I’m excited to continue to lead that movement from Heritage,” the conservative activist added.
Andrew Olivastro, the Heritage Foundation’s chief advancement officer, celebrated the announcement that Starbuck is joining the conservative organization. “Robby Starbuck is a trailblazer for our times, and we are thrilled he is joining us at Heritage. Robby has played a leading role helping Americans find their voice and reclaim their rights as shareowners, employees, and customers,” Olivastro said. “Our combined efforts will both set the agenda for the business community and save the private sector for future prosperity.&#8221;
John Backiel, vice president of finance and accounting at Heritage, also celebrated Starbuck’s move and further explained the goals of the effort.
“Heritage is leaning into the coalition of organizations, businesses, and individuals who desire to put their capital to work as a force multiplier by investing in companies and organizations building a better American future,” Backiel noted. “Through our corporate engagement we will help bring an end to corporate progressive indoctrination of the workforce and engage in constructive dialogue that rewards good businesses and products.&#8221;
“Heritage and our allies won’t stop until we break the imminent tyranny of a technocratic modern state and its corporate satellites stripping ordinary people of their God-given individual sovereignty,&#8221; the Heritage vice president said.

EXCLUSIVE: Robby Starbuck Joins Heritage Foundation To Continue Fight Against Woke Corporations

General

U.S.

Wokeness

Conservative activist Robby Starbuck announced on Thursday that PepsiCo will end all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and initiatives at the company and put an end to its woke &#8220;social credit system survey.&#8221;
In a post on <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1892623881682276386?s=51&amp;t=yVg_AIbZC0FnyCtU4qPVYw">X</a> from the filmmaker, Starbuck wrote that he could finally reveal that after he contacted the company and planned to expose its woke policies, PepsiCo has revealed big changes that aren&#8217;t just going to effect Pepsi, but all the the brands it owns including Gatorade, Quaker, Doritos, Ruffles, Frito-Lay, Aquafina, and more.
“@PepsiCo will no longer have a DEI Officer. PepsiCo will no longer have a DEI team. PepsiCo will END DEI representation goals,” Starbuck’s post read. “PepsiCo will no longer participate in the woke @HRC CEI social credit system survey. Woke trans agenda activists at the HRC are losing influence and power by the day.”
“They will END ALL DEI trainings,” he added. “ALL PepsiCo sponsorships must align with their business going forward. Instead of supplier diversity, PepsiCo is now focused on growing their small business supplier base.&#8221;
“I have to give their executives major credit for making these changes because these are some big changes,” Starbuck continued. “PepsiCo has 318,000+ employees and a market cap of more than $200 BILLION dollars. Those employees will now have a neutral workplace without feeling that divisive issues are being injected and this corporate neutrality will also extend to their many suppliers who will no longer feel pressure to endorse these policies.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
MASSIVE news: I contacted PepsiCo to let them know that I planned on doing a story about their woke policies. When I contacted them, they were ready to make some BIG changes. I can now exclusively tell you what’s changing:
• <a href="https://twitter.com/PepsiCo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PepsiCo</a> will no longer have a DEI Officer.
•… <a href="https://t.co/RnjhVuPnVR">pic.twitter.com/RnjhVuPnVR</a>
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1892623881682276386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
His post noted that with PepsiCo making these changes, the next major business under threat of wider public exposure of its woke policies is CocaCola.
“@CocaCola should be very nervous about continuing with their woke policies,” Starbuck wrote. “The spotlight is on them next. We are winning and one by one we WILL bring sanity back to corporate America.&#8221;
“Our campaigns are now so effective that we’re getting the biggest companies on earth to change their policies without me even posting a story outlining their woke policies,” he added. “Companies can clearly see that America wants normalcy back. The era of wokeness is dying right in front of our eyes. The landscape of corporate America is quickly shifting to sanity and neutrality. We are the trend, not the anomaly.”
Starbuck noted that the effort to get rid of woke policies and practices had impacted companies&#8217; worth more than $4 trillion so far and shared how people could help him <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1892623881682276386?s=51&amp;t=yVg_AIbZC0FnyCtU4qPVYw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continue</a>.
PepsiCo joins other major companies like Target, Walmart, McDonalds, Harley Davidson, Ford, Coors, and Toyota that reversed course on DEI initiatives thanks to Starbuck&#8217;s efforts.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-rolls-back-dei-joining-other-major-companies-like-walmart-meta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target Rolls Back DEI, Joining Other Major Companies Like Walmart, Meta</a>

DEI Book

PepsiCo Announces End To DEI Policies

Social Issues

Target

In a major turnaround, &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/War-Children-Robby-Starbuck/dp/B0DTSGWVCH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=4J0R2B9F5WHE&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.a5LZAH2ip82WZpW1--t2iidf2MZQOMw_TXlbJuZEplNLuXyhvYy7URzTcWqv2LQ67x5RDWNdwtHXJeWEoKk8ZcnfpJ_potUdgON9EoK5NavU2UQbjEftGFnYNYb7LEI9m4vS5rLz-wVYq8wu3ejU8y7Nloi4FKrFedUrHpLRIRR7l_a6eiU_UqlXunrhD9J7_bHzHdaqvZpLGir0-l5m2bKafjhcm_fLoBWs59P6Ky0.e2pta6rm_XMQoiqF2T8OCaXBgtudSBWu-LGskYdFqIw&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=The+War+On+Children&amp;qid=1738613878&amp;s=instant-video&amp;sprefix=the+war+on+children%2Cinstant-video%2C134&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The War on Children</a>,&#8221; a documentary exposing far-left activists&#8217; efforts to indoctrinate and sexualize children, is finally being platformed on Amazon&#8217;s Prime Video.
Robby Starbuck, activist and director of the film, announced on Monday that &#8220;The War on Children&#8221; is now available on Prime Video, following a year of effective censorship by Big Tech platforms.
&#8220;Huge news and a favor to ask so we wake up more people: One year ago today, every Big Tech company banned &#8216;The War On Children,'&#8221; Starbuck posted to X. &#8220;Amazon banned it because the Left feared it. Today, exactly 1 year since the release, [Prime Video] just unbanned our film.&#8221;
&#8220;If we can get it into the top films there, think of how many normal people will be woken up to the war that the Left has waged on our kids,&#8221; Starbuck continued. &#8220;Getting into the top movie recommendations would also have the added bonus of driving the Left insane. They’re already going to lose it that Amazon is carrying the film.&#8221;
The Daily Wire has reached out to Amazon about the sudden turnaround.
Starbuck asked his followers to support &#8220;The War on Children&#8221; and promised that any profits would be rolled &#8220;right into our next film, which is going to be incredible.&#8221;
A description of the film on Prime Video reads, &#8220;Far left activists will stop at nothing to indoctrinate them, sexualize them, guilt them and punish them until they submit to their woke religion. For too long the dots haven&#8217;t been connected to expose their battle plan. This film exposes EVERYTHING.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Huge news and a favor to ask so we wake up more people: One year ago today, every Big Tech co banned &#8220;The War On Children&#8221;.
Amazon banned it because the left feared it.
Today, exactly 1 year since the release, <a href="https://twitter.com/PrimeVideo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrimeVideo</a> just unbanned our film. If we can get it into the top… <a href="https://t.co/zjNupYJ8wa">pic.twitter.com/zjNupYJ8wa</a>
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1886449838511816816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
Notably, Big Tech CEOs, including Amazon&#8217;s Jeff Bezos, have warmed to President Donald Trump since his 2024 election win. Bezos <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tech-ceos-meta-amazon-donate-millions-inauguration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donated</a> $1 million toward Trump&#8217;s inauguration and even attended the swearing-in.
A similar shift has occurred with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, who famously <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87x98q8y08o">dined</a> with Trump at Mar-a-Lago just days after the election. He, too, <a href="https://www.commoncause.org/articles/big-tech-is-donating-millions-to-trumps-inauguration/">donated</a> $1 million for Trump’s inauguration and attended the event. 
While Amazon is now platforming &#8220;The War on Children,&#8221; it&#8217;s also noteworthy that Zuckerberg has claimed to have turned a page on the days of censorship, insisting that he supports free speech. The Facebook founder recently said he’s replacing biased third-party fact checkers with a Community Notes-style system, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zuckerberg-says-meta-restoring-free-speech-will-get-rid-of-fact-checkers">posted</a> a video earlier this month emphasizing this commitment to free speech. 
 “We’ve reached a point where it&#8217;s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,&#8221; Zuckerberg said in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zuck/reel/DEhf2uTJUs0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> posted online. &#8220;The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point toward once again prioritizing speech. So, we’re gonna get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.”

Kid with trans flag

Culture Shift: ‘The War On Children’ Doc Was Banned By Big Tech. Now Amazon Is Platforming It.

Amazon Prime

Big Tech

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/target">Target</a> is the latest major company to reverse its diversity, equity, and inclusion (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dei">DEI</a>) initiatives.
Per a new memo made public on Friday, the Minneapolis-based <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/business">retail giant</a> will be joining large companies, including Walmart, McDonald’s, and Meta, to name a few, by phasing out its DEI focus. That means ending three-year DEI goals that were previously laid out.
“Many years of data, insights, listening and learning have been shaping this next chapter in our strategy,” chief community impact and equity officer Kiera Fernandez said in an internal memo sent to staff on Friday, per <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/24/target-rolls-back-major-dei-initiatives.html">CNBC</a>. “And as a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape, now and in the future – all in service of driving Target’s growth and winning together.”
Per <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/target-ends-its-3-year-diversity-equity-inclusion-initiatives-2025-01-24/">Reuters</a>, the company pledged in 2022 to invest more than $2 billion in black-owned businesses by the end of 2025 as part of its REACH goals. Target also had goals of adding more than 500 black-owned brands and increasing exposure of diverse-owned brands through paid media, the outlet noted. Target will no longer focus on diversity when choosing suppliers.
Target will also stop reporting to external diversity-focused groups like the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
In 2023, the retailer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-to-offer-pride-merchandise-in-fewer-stores-after-backlash-against-tuck-friendly-swimsuit-sale-last-year">came under fire</a> for marketing a line of Pride-themed merchandise, including products like “tuck-friendly” female swimming suits, in prominent displays at the front of their stores. Other products in its “Pride Collection” included small shirts with phrases like “Just Be You And Feel The Love,” Pride-themed onesies, as well as rainbow-colored leggings, tutu skirts, and jumpers.
Following widespread backlash and boycotts, the Pride collection for 2024 was much smaller than the previous year. Conservative activist Robby Starbuck said a Target rep confirmed that the company would not market Pride merchandise to kids going forward, as he shared on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
MASSIVE news: Target is ending many of their woke policies. I can now exclusively tell you what’s changing and how it happened.
Recently executives <a href="https://twitter.com/Target?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Target</a> found out I was doing a story on wokeness there. When we learned they were prepared to make changes, we shifted our focus… <a href="https://t.co/4R7tGIn5Fk">pic.twitter.com/4R7tGIn5Fk</a>
&mdash; Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1882880575167463695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
These changes come just days after newly inaugurated President Donald Trump placed all federal DEI officials on paid leave. 
“President Trump campaigned on ending the scourge of DEI from our federal government and returning America to a merit based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-to-put-all-federal-dei-officials-on-leave-by-end-of-day-tomorrow">reported</a>. “This is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds. Promises made, promises kept.”
While major companies are abandoning DEI initiatives, others are digging in their heels. Costco <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/costco-shareholders-reject-anti-dei-proposal-spark-backlash">announced</a> on Friday that its shareholders overwhelmingly rejected an anti-DEI proposal.
“We owe our success to the more than 300,000 employees who serve our members every day. It is important that they all feel included and appreciated and that they transmit these values to our customers,” the company’s chairman, Hamilton “Tony” James, said of the decision to keep DEI as part of the company&#8217;s goals.

Target Rolls Back DEI, Joining Other Major Companies Like Walmart, Meta

Target Rolls Back DEI Efforts, Joining Other Major Companies Like Walmart, Meta

“DEI isn’t actually dead,” proclaimed a recent CNN headline, in a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/17/business/dei-isnt-actually-dead/index.html">piece</a> by consumer reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn that somehow managed to be both condescending and ignorant at the same time. CNN would like you to believe corporate diversity isn’t really going anywhere, just changing its external terminology from the oft-maligned term “DEI” to more nebulous terms like “belonging” and “inclusivity,” while maintaining all of its internal elements.
Personally, I both love and hate this piece and the viewpoint it belies. I love that CNN actually believes the DEI skeptic coalition — made up of many serious investors, dedicated state fiduciaries, and corporate engagement professionals — is naive enough to just go away because companies changed the names of their diversity departments. But I also hate that CNN’s dream scenario might actually happen. Let me explain.
The ball’s rolling. This year was a major step towards undoing the damage done by discriminatory diversity initiatives and rejecting the radicalism of much of modern &#8220;anti-racism.&#8221; And it&#8217;s not even just Trump’s victory (although America’s rejection of Kamala Harris is a lesson DEI advocates seem unwilling to learn). Thanks to the efforts of conservative activists like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walmart-caves-massive-retailer-the-next-woke-domino-to-fall-under-pressure-from-robby-starbuck" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robby Starbuck</a>, there is a growing list of companies walking back, slashing, or in some cases altogether removing their DEI initiatives.
There&#8217;s also the ever-growing wave of scrutiny on the discriminatory elements of DEI coming from <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/adf-calls-corporations-ditch-dei-policies-light-2024-election/">legal groups</a> like Alliance Defending Freedom, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-state-treasurers-investors-urge-major-companies-to-drop-discriminatory-dei-agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">financial officers</a> in red states, and of course the shareholders we represent every day in the corporate engagement world.
The halls of American academia are following suit, with campuses like the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/05/university-of-michigan-dei-cut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Michigan</a> and <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/race-ethnicity/2024/07/31/u-missouri-axes-dei-office-pre-empt-state-mandate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mizzou</a> overhauling their DEI initiatives. Even whole states like Idaho are <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/idaho-board-education-bans-dei-offices-initiatives-all-public-universities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking steps</a> to stamp DEI out of publicly-funded institutions. And that’s not even considering the broader social pushback against the racialism that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-fate-of-the-racially-furious" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infected</a> American society post-George Floyd, from the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3148007/am-i-racist-fighting-the-culture-war-with-a-smile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">success</a> of documentaries like Matt Walsh&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/am-i-racist#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Am I Racist?</a>&#8220; to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/opinion/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-subway-killing.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejection</a> of the race narratives surrounding high-visibility court cases like Daniel Penny.
That’s the roadmap. And it’s easy to think the momentum of the battle against DEI’s problematic elements is all downhill from here. In reality, these are just the first steps, albeit crucial ones. The next steps? Keep walking the road. This is a labor that will take years — and losing momentum is the one thing we cannot afford. In fact, losing momentum is what the Left and the advocates of DEI’s most pernicious elements are counting on us to do. Seems unimaginable given the groundswell of anti-DEI, anti-ESG, and generally anti-woke sentiment that’s sprung up post-November. Give it time.
Post-inauguration, when life returns to normal, we have to keep at the task of rooting out the discriminatory and divisive ideology that so often permeates DEI programs. The staying force of the Left is tremendous. But we’re not just in a battle against the forces of the Left. We’re in a battle against the force of institutional inertia. If we stop, we lose. We must keep pushing. If you work for or own shares in a company with DEI programs, keep pushing for answers. If you’re at a college with a DEI program, keep pushing for answers. If we do these things, and don’t give up, 2025 can be America’s best year yet on rejecting the discrimination and divisiveness so many DEI programs promulgate.
* * *
Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN and the Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacWillour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@IsaacWillour</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

A Walmart Store Ahead Of Earnings Figures

The Year The DEI Tide Turned

Am I Racist

Anti-Racism

Corporations

Equity

Matt Walsh

Racism

Walmart

The year 2024 has been a huge success for conservatives pushing back against diversity, equity, and inclusion and LGBTQ initiatives that woke companies have rubbed in their faces. 
After years of wokeness infiltrating what seemed to be every area of the culture, Americans stood up this year and fought the DEI cult with amazing success. Thanks to conservatives like Matt Walsh, Robby Starbuck, and Jeremy Boreing, the Left was finally put on the defensive as their woke ideology was exposed for its insanity. 
Walsh’s “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/am-i-racist">Am I Racist?</a>” comedy put the craziness of wokeness on full display. The film features Walsh going undercover in the world of DEI to expose the grift of the race hustlers profiting off people’s emotions through deception. 
Starbuck, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pure-lunacy-robby-starbuck-on-exposing-dei-in-corporate-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exposed DEI</a> in major U.S. corporations, which resulted in companies such as Walmart, Harley-Davidson, Ford, and Tractor Supply announcing they are abandoning their DEI policies and programs and cutting ties with controversial progressive groups, including the Human Rights Campaign.
Even Pride Month, when many companies push LGBTQ messaging during June, was toned down in 2024 compared to previous years. 
Jeremy Boreing, the co-CEO of The Daily Wire and founder of Jeremy’s Razors, has also continued to stand up to the woke mob and fight for traditional values. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s92UMJNjPIA&amp;t=5s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeremy’s Razors</a> was founded as a response to leftist companies forcing their views on customers. What better way to celebrate conservative victories while sticking it to the woke Left than shopping <a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/black-friday-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30% off Jeremy’s Cyber Week sales</a>, which continue throughout the week? 
While conservatives rightly celebrate these massive victories, the fight isn’t over. Multiple major companies are still pushing woke causes. Here are a few of them: 
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-ags-warn-apple-about-entrepreneur-program-that-excludes-white-asian-men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple</a> </h3>
Apple faced backlash from conservatives after it posted its requirements for its “Apple Entrepreneur Camp” on August 13. The posting from the company said that all “female,* Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Indigenous” developers were welcome to apply. The asterisks around “female” pointed to a note that said Apple “believes that gender expression is a fundamental right. We welcome all women to apply to this program.”
A coalition of 14 Republican attorneys general wrote to Apple, warning the tech giant that the program might be illegal. 
Apple is the third-largest company by revenue in the U.S. 
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-11-most-biased-responses-from-googles-gemini-ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google</a> </h3>
Earlier this year, Google’s Gemini AI was slammed after it failed to produce historically accurate images. Gemini also spit out leftist talking points when asked about political topics. As people played with the AI tool and asked it questions, they found that it often had biased responses on topics like the Israel-Hamas war, COVID, racism, and the definition of “woman.” 
Google also has a <a href="https://about.google/belonging/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">web page</a> focused on “gender equity,” “LGBTQ+ inclusion,” and “racial equity.”  
During the 2024 presidential campaign, House Republicans were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/google-says-bug-kept-donald-trump-out-of-auto-generated-search-suggestions-pushed-users-to-stories-about-kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerned</a> that Google was “censoring information about former President Donald Trump.” The tech giant claimed that bugs in its system caused searches for Trump to generate articles about Vice President Kamala Harris.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fans-rip-disney-for-new-snow-white-trailer-especially-nightmare-fuel-cgi-dwarfs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney</a></h3>
Disney is doubling down on its live-action “Snow White” after actress Rachel Zegler criticized the original fairytale, calling the traditional love story “weird.” Any sign of tradition in Disney’s remake appeared to be gone as Disney’s filmmakers dropped the traditional dwarfs to supposedly fight against stereotypes of people with dwarfism. Instead, the film depicted “magical creatures,” a move that was blasted for caving to the woke mob. 
Disney scrubbed the “magical creatures” idea and went back to dwarfs, but the computer-generated imagery (CGI) portrayal of the seven dwarfs was blasted after Disney recently released another trailer. 
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-jerrys-sues-woke-unilever-over-alleged-censorship-of-its-leftist-views" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben &amp; Jerry’s </a></h3>
Last month, the ice cream giant sued its parent company, Unilever, accusing it of censoring pro-Palestinian public statements, a claim that Unilever denies. That came after Ben &amp; Jerry’s targeted Israel in a boycott in 2021, which led to some investors divesting Unilever shares, and then, Ben &amp; Jerry’s sued Unilever for selling its business to a licensee in Israel. 
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wokest-wash-around-doves-campaign-against-normalcy-continues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dove</a></h3>
Dove’s hypocrisy was on full display earlier this year when it claimed to support girls and women in sports despite the fact that two years ago, the brand congratulated Laurel Hubbard, a male weightlifter who competed against women at the Olympics.
Dove continues to push its “anti-racist” and pro-LGBTQ messaging on its website. 
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harrys-sends-another-bag-of-cash-to-group-promoting-radical-gender-theory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harry’s</a></h3>
While some companies toned down their Pride Month messaging this year, Harry’s doubled down on the wokeness, bragging about its support for radical gender theory and announcing on June 1 that it’s continuing its partnership with The Trevor Project, an activist organization that runs a chat room where minors can talk to peers and adults about their sexuality.
Some companies may never learn that wokeness is being rejected by most Americans. But thankfully there are alternatives that will never force leftism on you, and alternatives that will join the fight against wokeness — alternatives like Jeremy’s Razors. 
<a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/black-friday-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get woke-free gifts for 30% off for every self-respecting man and woman on your Christmas list. </a>Check out the <a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/black-friday-24/products/precision-5-1-year-bundle-us?selling_plan=3795681493" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeremy’s Precision 5 1-Year Bundle</a> or <a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/black-friday-24/products/2nd-gen-womens-1-year?selling_plan=4060971221" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeremy’s Women&#8217;s Razor 1-Year Bundle</a>. It’s all the blades a man or woman needs to conquer stubble and progressive bull$#!&amp; for a full 365 days. Stock up for young men or women in college or any man or woman with no time for PC nonsense.
Treat Dad or that conservative uncle to the ultimate woke-free arsenal. <a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/bundles/products/victory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go all out with Jeremy’s full line of men’s personal care essentials included in the Victory Bundle</a>. Kick woke out of any man’s bathroom, keeping their values and health in mind so they can look and feel their best.
Shopping for a freedom-loving lady in your life? The newly launched <a href="https://www.jeremysrazors.com/collections/black-friday-24/products/womens-2nd-gen-mega-bundle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Women’s Mega Bundle is here to keep her skin smooth and values unbothered.</a> The bundle includes shave and shower essentials from Jeremy’s women’s line including a women’s razor made for women who know what a woman is, shave cream, moisturizing body wash &amp; lotion, plus the iconic Leftist Tears Tumbler.
Wokeness lost in 2024, but there’s still much to be done. At Jeremy’s, the fight will continue to ensure that Americans don’t have to rely on mega-corporations that often fall in line with the Left’s woke talking points. 
Jeremy’s Razors shares common ownership with The Daily Wire.

Chalkboard Sign

Wokeness Was Dealt A Huge Blow In 2024, But These Companies Still Tried To Push It

Jeremy Boreing

Jeremy's Razors

This is the second in a series of articles from Alliance Defending Freedom on the state of free speech in America today. October 21 to 27 is National Free Speech Week.
* * *
We all know that nature abhors a vacuum.
Thanks to the virtually superhuman efforts of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pure-lunacy-robby-starbuck-on-exposing-dei-in-corporate-america">Robby Starbuck</a>, some of the most iconic brands in the country have been systematically exposed for embracing the toxic creeds of DEI and gender ideology.
Starting with an <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/how-tractor-supply-decided-to-end-dei-and-fast-16b45803" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiling</a> of Tractor Supply’s discriminatory DEI personnel policies earlier this summer, Starbuck has shone a light on similarly controversial practices at a growing list of household-name brands. As of this writing, Starbuck has wins at John Deere, Jack Daniels, Harley Davidson, Lowes, Home Depot, Ford, Coors, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toyota-slams-brakes-on-dei-commitments-after-robby-starbuck-expose-on-lgbtq-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toyota</a>. Starbuck has brought these companies to their knees—or better put, back to their senses. In doing so, he’s come away with major concessions that are helping these companies regain the trust of a growing movement of customers and shareholders who are fed up with Left-wing activists browbeating beloved American companies into pushing their narrow political agenda.
Despite the painful public relations moments his crusade has inflicted on these corporations, Starbuck is on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/tbd-free1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mission of mercy</a>. Along with ridding these companies of increasingly unpopular DEI practices and propaganda, Starbuck is also convincing leaders to end their participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s social credit score system known as the “Corporate Equality Index.”
For years, the HRC’s index has functioned as both a carrot and a stick to cajole and threaten companies into adopting an increasingly radical set of LGBTQ+ policy positions, many of which are deeply unpopular with the general public.
For example, companies that score 100%on the CEI this year <a href="https://tinyurl.com/3jcunskt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">must cover</a> harmful and irreversible cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for children in employees’ healthcare plans. In addition to exposing companies to legal risk in 25 states, caving to HRC’s radical “puberty blockers for kids” agenda is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/05/trans-poll-gop-politics-laws/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opposed</a> by nearly 70% of Americans.
<a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1829213419381068136" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blasting Ford</a> as the “Not-so-tough” company for ending its involvement in the CEI, the HRC is facing the first real cultural pushback since its ascendence two decades ago. If nothing else, HRC’s reaction will make good theater.
But for those who care about the free market’s success, this abrupt upending of the entrenched political-corporate order also raises a new set of questions. At its core, the HRC owes much of its success to its opportunistic seizure of a crucial gap in conventional thinking about the free market.
For decades, the consensus view of the free market was best summarized by Milton Friedman’s shareholder theory — that the business of every business is to return value to its owners. Sound as that understanding is, a distorted image of the market dominates the popular imagination, typified by fictional character Gordon Gekko’s “greed is good” speech in the iconic movie Wall Street.
The Gekko-style misconception generated the perception of a moral vacuum in the market. Groups like HRC were eager to fill that space, coming into the corporate boardroom with a moral and ethical alternative to greed. That’s also at the heart of the 2019 Business Roundtable’s <a href="https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-roundtable-redefines-the-purpose-of-a-corporation-to-promote-an-economy-that-serves-all-americans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">popularization</a> of so-called “stakeholder capitalism,” which presents itself as a full-orbed approach to making the world a better place through business.
Here&#8217;s the lesson for freedom and free market loving Americans – we will never win the battle for the soul of American business until we win the moral argument about virtue in business.
What does a virtuous business program look like? It starts by urging businesses to stay focused on their core purpose – generating economic value and profit by providing excellent products and services that improve people’s lives. By staying focused on their mission, corporate leaders make a unique contribution to the lives of their neighbors — starting with their employees, shareholders, and customers, but also extending to the broader society.
But virtue in business cannot be defined solely by the profit or shareholder value motive. As we have seen over the last decade, this principle does not forestall some of the best-performing companies in the world from adopting policies and practices that harm freedoms, values, and institutions that are essential to American democracy and society.
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Any vision for virtue in business must therefore also include a commitment to at least “do no harm” to the basic societal structures – core civil liberties such as freedom of expression and religion, family, and mediating institutions like churches, schools, and nonprofits – that sustain markets and a free society. Even better, businesses should embrace policies and practices that respect these essential building blocks.
This means, at the very least, that companies should:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Embrace equality of opportunity by abandoning DEI policies and practices that discriminate against employees, customers, or vendors based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, sex, or religion.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Embrace a culture of freedom of speech, association, and religion for employees, customers, and vendors and refuse to punish them for expressing their views.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Refuse to take official positions on political, social, or public-policy issues unrelated to the business’s purpose.</li>
</ul>
The only thing that abhors a vacuum more than nature is the American political Left. We can be sure that they will attempt to fill the void being created by Starbuck’s and many others’ excellent work pushing back on DEI with another counterfeit vision for virtue in business.
As conservatives, we love the free market, the free exchange of ideas, and competition. We have an opportunity to vie for the hearts and minds of corporate leaders when it comes to the question of virtue in business. Let’s win the argument this time. Yes, we should lead with the proposition that providing excellent goods, services, job opportunities, and financial blessings to shareholders, employees, and customers is inherently virtuous. But we must also advocate that a defining characteristic of a virtuous business culture is policies and practices that respect the fundamental freedoms and institutions that undergird our very way of life.
If we fail, ten years (or sooner) from now we will be cleaning up the societal wreckage from the next installment of rebranded DEI that captures the imagination of corporate leaders.
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Jeremy Tedesco (<a href="https://x.com/Jeremy_Tedesco">@Jeremy_Tedesco</a>) is senior counsel and senior vice president of corporate engagement for <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/?utm_source=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=oped">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/ADFLegal">@ADFLegal</a>).
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.
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