Boeing has reportedly dismantled its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) department and the vice president in charge has resigned, as the struggling company moves forward with a major restructuring, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
DEI refers to measures aimed at ensuring equal representation for people of every race, gender, or disability status.
Boeing, whose workforce has historically been predominantly white and male, had previously pledged to hire more people from minority groups and increase overall Black employment by 20% before 2025.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, the company’s diversity staff is now set to be reassigned to new positions. Sara Lian Bowen, one of Boeing’s vice presidents who led the DEI department, has also left the company.
The dismantling of Boeing’s DEI team comes as major corporations across the US face scrutiny over what critics have described as “woke” discriminatory hiring practices directed against white men.