Harley-Davidson Makes Changes Following ‘Woke’ Accusations
Some of the initiatives Harley-Davidson execs were working on were branded ‘woke’ by social media commentators
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Harley-Davidson has made a U-turn on a number of company-wide initiatives that some social media commentators have branded as being ‘woke’.
In particular, Harley will no longer pursue diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, which centres around the themes of representation and participation of different groups of individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, age, disability and sexual orientation.
The Milwaukee-based brand issued a statement on ‘X’ (formally Twitter) explaining its thinking on the move. It reads:
“For over 120 years, Harley-Davidson has brought the joy of motorcycling to riders around the world, no matter who they are, where they come from or what they believe in. We have a guiding principle: United We Ride. It defines how we run our business, treat our people, and underscores our commitment to welcoming all.
“We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community. As a Company, we take this issue very seriously, and it is our responsibility to respond with clarity, action and facts.”
The statement then goes on to list several measures it will be taking, including continuing with non-DEI policies (which Harley states it has not pursued since April 2024), a continued commitment to Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs), a review of sponsorship and affiliations, and employee training that is directly related to the needs of the business.
The statement from Harley-Davidson comes amid pressure from social media commentators, including anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck. Starbuck is quoted as accusing America’s most famous bike maker of adopting “the woke agenda of the very far left”. In June of 2023, a photo agency threatened legal proceedings against Starbuck after he used a copyrighted paparazzi photo of Megan Fox and her family accusing the actress of "child abuse" for having "forced" her children to "wear girls' clothes".
