Sam's Club CEO being called 'racist' for promoting diversity

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Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer gave a CNN interview in which she discussed the importance of diversity, but now, that interview has generated backlash, with several people accusing her of being racist against white men.

In the interviewer, Brewer was asked about the ways in which she promotes diversity in her company.

“It has to start with top leadership,” Brewer said. “My executive team is very diverse and I make that a priority. I demand it within my team.”

She went on to discuss mentorship programs within the company as well as her push to get her partners to hire on people to make a more diverse workforce.

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However, Brewer ran into trouble when she related this story about realizing how little diversity there was at the top of some companies: “Just today we met with a supplier and the entire other side of the table was all Caucasian males. That was interesting. I decided not to talk about it directly with [the supplier’s] folks in the room because there were actually no female, like, levels down. So I’m going to place a call to him.”

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The story and her comments have sparked outrage, with many people, particularly on right-wing websites, claiming that Brewer is “racist” against white men and threatening to boycott Sam’s Club.

However, Wal-Mart is standing by Brewer and her remarks.

“For years, we’ve asked our suppliers to prioritize the talent and diversity of their sales teams calling on our company,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said. “Roz was simply trying to reiterate that we believe diverse and inclusive teams make for a stronger business. That’s all there is to it and I support that important ideal.”

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