News of Chick-fil-A having vice president of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) has some conservative groups calling for a boycott. The fast food giant has been a favorite among many over the years, due in large part to its religious roots and sporadic financial support of anti-LGBTQ organizations, but a previous announcement of Erick McReynolds, VP, DEI, who has been with the company’s DEI segment since 2020, has some claiming the company has “gone woke.”
It’s unclear why news of Chick-fil-A’s previous DEI initiatives took off on social media Tuesday, though it may possibly be due to several viral posts.
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McReynolds previously said DEI is crucial to fulfilling the company’s corporate purpose, saying: “Chick-fil-A restaurants have long been recognized as a place where people know they will be treated well. Modeling care for others starts in the restaurant, and we are committed to ensuring mutual respect, understanding and dignity everywhere we do business.”
According to Chick-fil-A’s DEI page, its initiative hopes to focus on promoting equal access to opportunities, valuing differences and “creating a culture of belonging.” The company cites several groups it says it has supported, including Women in Business (WIB) and the Black Employee Resource Group (BERG).
The announcement made ripples online Tuesday morning, with “Chick-fil-A” trending shortly after political strategist Joey Mannarino tweeted it out, writing, “This is bad. Very bad. I don’t want to have to boycott. Are we going to have to boycott?”
Mannarino included a
poll had over 45,000 votes as of Tuesday morning.
While some respondents said they hoped Chick-fil-A would “stand by their Christian values,” others questioned why its principles were being considered antithetical to Christian values.
