Business and Finance
Black Farmers Group Calls for Tractor Supply CEO to Resign
NEW YORK (AP) — The National Black Farmers Association on Tuesday called on the president and CEO of Tractor Supply to step down after the agricultural retailer announced it was abandoning most of its corporate diversity and climate protection efforts.
The resignation request comes as Tractor Supply, a retailer of farm equipment and animal supplies, faces growing criticism for its decision, which comes after conservative activists expressed opposition to the corporate’s efforts to be more inclusive and combat climate change.
In a public announcement last week, the corporate said it might eliminate all of its diversity, equity and inclusion roles, end its sponsorship of “non-business activities” like Pride festivals, and withdraw its carbon reduction goals. Critics of the brand new stance say Tractor Supply is pandering to hate and hurting its customers by abandoning key principles.
“I was horrified by the decision,” John Boyd Jr., president and founding father of the National Black Farmers Association, said in an interview. “I see it as a step back in race relations — because the country is so divided along racial lines, especially in rural America.”
Tractor Supply representatives contacted Tuesday declined further comment.
Tractor Supply, headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, operates greater than 2,200 stores within the United States, most of that are positioned in rural areas. Its primary retail customer base consists of shoppers needing agricultural and livestock products, corresponding to livestock feed, trucking supplies, tools and outdoor equipment.
Boyd said Tractor Supply stores will be found where many of the NBFA’s 130,000 members are positioned. Like other farmers, he said black farmers have been shopping on the chain for years. Boyd, who can also be a shareholder in Tractor Supply, estimated he has personally spent greater than $10,000 at his local store since January — buying supplies like fencing wire and feed for cattle and horses in Virginia.
Ahead of the corporate’s announcement, conservative activists opposed to its DEI efforts, LGBTQ+ sponsorships and climate motion spent weeks criticizing Tractor Supply on social media. Tractor Supply said in an announcement Thursday that it was making the changes after listening to dissatisfied customers and “took that feedback to heart.”
The move marked a big shift in Tractor Supply’s message, which once boasted about its diversity and inclusion efforts. In recent years, the corporate has sought to broaden its appeal to younger consumers — including former urbanites who now risk being alienated.
“We will continue to listen to our customers and team members. Your trust and confidence in us is paramount, and we do not take that lightly,” the corporate said.
The NBFA said it attempted to discuss its concerns with Tractor Supply President and CEO Hal Lawton multiple times before calling for his resignation.
“He’s gone too far — and we need to let him know that we’re not going to sit back and put up with this mess any longer,” Boyd said, adding that the organization may consider calling for a boycott of Tractor Supply if nothing changes in the approaching days. “We’re tired of (being) treated badly by the government and Fortune 500 companies. … Black farmers are going to fight back. And that’s what we’re doing.”
Some customers have already decided to take their business elsewhere, including Squirrelwood Equine Sanctuary, a New York animal shelter that claims it spends greater than $65,000 a 12 months on livestock feed and other supplies at Tractor Supply.
Squirrelwood co-founder Beth Hyman said she first heard in regards to the company’s decision when sanctuary supporters contacted her to ask if the group planned to issue an announcement on the matter. She thought of it for a day, then went to an area store to ask the manager she’s worked with for years in regards to the announcement.
Hyman, who’s gay, said she told the manager that the sanctuary could now not support Tractor Supply if its ad reflected his beliefs. The sanctuary also posted its stance on X, where the post received 31,000 likes.
“It’s incomprehensible to me that a company would give in to a hate campaign,” Hyman said. “Now they just have another boycott. We didn’t call for that, but obviously people did.”
Allen Adamson, co-founder of consulting firm Metaforce, said the conservative push for Tractor Supply and the fallout from its concessions are “a perfect example of how the growing division in the country — political and ideological — is really making it harder to run a customer-centric business.”
“No matter which option you choose, you will upset a large group of customers,” he said.
Consumers from all walks of life are increasingly susceptible to the influence of social media and are selecting to redirect their spending in the event that they feel firms don’t share their values, Adamson said. For Tractor Supply, which operates in rural communities, anti-DEI activism has put the retailer in a “really tough” position where it needs to do something to stem a possible exodus, he said.
“No company wants to be the target of negativity on social media,” Adamson said. “It’s a no-win situation.”
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Tractor Supply’s reversal comes after boycott campaigns last 12 months against Bud Light and Target over their LGBTQ+ marketing. Target decided not to sell Pride Month merchandise in all of its stores in June after last 12 months’s backlash.
Legal attacks on corporate diversity and inclusion efforts have also gained increased attention following the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling to end affirmative motion in college admissions, and plenty of conservative and anti-DEI activists are searching for to set the same precedent on the earth of labor.
Several other Tractor Supply organizations and patrons also expressed disappointment or outrage over the corporate’s recent announcement, which included plans to stop sharing data with the Human Rights Campaign, the biggest LGBTQ+ rights group within the U.S.
Eric Bloem, vice chairman of programs and company advocacy on the Human Rights Campaign, said in an announcement last week that Tractor Supply is “turning its back on its neighbors with this shortsighted decision.” The organization has worked with Tractor Supply to create inclusive policies and practices for years, he added.
But Boyd of the National Black Farmers Association said that despite years of efforts by the NBFA, Tractor Supply has not consulted with the group on its past diversity and inclusion goals or attended the organization’s conferences. The company recently invited the NBFA to apply for a partnership with Tractor Supply’s foundation, however the organization learned on June 26 — the day before Tractor Supply announced its DEI and climate goals — that it was not among the many groups chosen, he said.
Business and Finance
David Shands and Donni Wiggins host the “My First Million” conference at ATL
December is the birth month of David Shands and Donnie Wiggins, friends and business partners. Most people have fun by throwing a celebration. Others imagine it must be catered for. The chosen ones spend the day relaxing in peace and quiet.
Then there’s Shands and Wiggins.
The two decided that the best birthday gift can be to offer individuals with resources for generational wealth through a conference called “My first million”in Atlanta.
It’s a compromise between how their families and family members need to honor them and their desire to proceed to serve others. Shands acknowledges that almost all people won’t understand, and he unapologetically doesn’t expect them to.
“It’s not up to us to convince anyone why we do what we do,” admits Shands.
“I think everyone does what they do for different reasons, and I would just attribute it to a sense of accomplishment that I can’t explain to anyone else.”
He doesn’t need to clarify this to Wiggins because she understands his feelings. Wiggins has had a passion for serving others for so long as she will be able to remember.
“When I was in middle school, there were child sponsorship ads on TV featuring children from third world countries. I was earning money at the time and I asked my mother to send money,” she says BLACK ENTERPRISES.
She recalls how sad she felt for youngsters living in a world with so many opportunities, but at the same time going hungry. Her mother allowed her to send money, and in return she received letters informing her of their progress.
“It was very real to me,” Wiggins says, now admitting she’s undecided the letters were authentic. “I received a letter from the child I sponsored, a photograph and some updates throughout the 12 months. It was such a sense of being overwhelmed and it was something I felt so good about. I didn’t even tell my friends I used to be doing it.”
She carried this sense throughout her life, even when she lost every little thing, including her house, cars, and money. She still found ways to serve and give back, which is the basis of her friendship with Shands.
They each love seeing people at the peak of their potential, and that is what “My First Million” is all about. There can be no higher birthday gift for them than helping others create generational wealth.
What to expect during the “My First Million” conference.
They each built successful seven-figure empires, then train others, write books about it, and launch an acclaimed podcast Social proof.
Now they’re imparting that knowledge through the My First Million conference, an event for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Shands and Wiggins need to prove that being profitable is feasible and encourage people to bet on themselves.
“David and I, on paper, are not two people who should have made millions of dollars. Number one, we want (people) to see it,” Wiggins says. “Then we want them to actually get out of that room with practical and actionable steps.”
Both are clear: this just isn’t a motivational conference. This is a conference where people, irrespective of where they’re of their journey, will come away with clarity about their business and what they must be doing as CEOs. Shands and Wiggins want individuals who do not have a transparent marketing strategy or are considering starting a business to also attend the meeting.
“A few areas we will cover are inspiration, information, plan and partnership,” adds Shands. “We will give you 1-2-3 steps because some people get depressed and uninspired. Even if they know what to do, they won’t leave, go home and do it. So we have to really put something into their heads and hearts that they come away with.”
Sign up and enroll for My First Million Here. The conference will happen on December 13 this 12 months. but Shands and Wiggins say it definitely won’t be the last for those who miss it.
Business and Finance
Operation HOPE on the occasion of the 10th annual world forum
Operation HOPE Inc. takes over Atlanta for the biggest game in the country dedicated to financial literacy and economic empowerment, Saporta reports.
The HOPE Global Forums (HGF) Annual Meeting 2024 strengthens the crucial link between financial education, innovation and community upliftment in hopes of finding solutions to the problems that stifle challenges around the world.
Organized by Operation HOPE founder John Hope Bryant, together with co-chairs Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young, the forums, to be held December Sep 11 at the Signia Hotel, will have fun its 10th anniversary with three days of engagement discussions, observations and forward-looking presentations.
Under the theme “The Future,” Hope Bryant says attendees are looking forward to a “powerful moment in history.”
“Over the past decade, we’ve brought together great minds with daring ideas, servant leaders with voices for change, and other people committed to a brand new vision of the world as we realize it. “‘The Future’ is a clear call to action for leaders to help ensure prosperity in every corner of society,” he said.
The extensive program includes influential and well-known speakers who address business, philanthropy, government and civil society. Confirmed speakers include White House correspondent Francesca Chambers, media specialist Van Jones and BET Media Group president and CEO Scott M. Mills.
“John Hope Bryant and his team have been doing this for ten years, and every year HGF raises the bar,” Young said. “Discussions about the FUTURE are important not only for civil dialogue; they are also essential to bridging the economic divide and solving some of today’s most important problems.”
Atlanta is predicted to welcome greater than 5,200 delegates representing greater than 40 countries.
“I have long said that Atlanta is a group project, and through our partnership with HOPE Global Forums, we are inviting the world to join the conversation,” Dickens mentioned. “From home ownership and entrepreneurship to youth engagement and financial education, HGF will offer bold and innovative ideas to ensure a bright future for all.”
It coincided with the organization’s annual meeting launched one other path to enhance financial knowledge with HOPE scholarships. With three tiers of scholarships – HOPE Lite, HOPE Classic and HOPE Silver – clients could have access to free financial coaching and academic resources.
Business and Finance
New Orleans’ black business district is marked by history
New Orleans has given a historic monument to a Black business district closed for interstate construction.
The marker was a project fulfilled by in response to the initiative of Plessy and Ferguson. Founded by descendants of men involved within the Plessy v. Ferguson case that legalized segregation within the United States, the organization worked with other community groups to put a marker under the Claiborne Viaduct.
Before the upheaval, Black New Orleanians could find stores owned by other members of their community on Claiborne Avenue. Racial discrimination originally limited the power to buy on the famous Canal Street. Given this, blacks as an alternative flocked to the realm to purchase every little thing from groceries to funeral arrangements.
This mall was home to many Black-owned businesses, and emerging and established entrepreneurs had arrange shop for generations. Consisting of pharmacies, theaters, studios and more, it helped maintain a vibrant black culture in the realm. It reigned because the most important street of Black New Orleans from the 1830s to the Seventies.
The street once featured a picturesque cover of oak trees surrounding bustling businesses. However, its decline began with the expansion of roads within the southern state. The first casualty was the oak trees that were cut all the way down to make way for the development of Interstate 10, and shortly thereafter, the district’s thriving entrepreneurs suffered an identical fate.
Many residents do not forget that they didn’t know in regards to the upcoming investment until the trees began falling. Raynard Sanders, a historian and executive director of the Claiborne Avenue History Project, remembered the “devastation” felt by the community.
“It was devastation for those of us who were here,” Sanders told the news outlet. “I was walking to school and they were cutting down oak trees. We had no warning.”
Despite its eventual decline, the district stays an integral a part of Black New Orleans entrepreneurship. Now the town will physically resemble a historic center where Black business owners could thrive. They celebrated the revealing of the statue in true New Orleans style with a second line that danced down Claiborne Avenue.
“The significance of this sign is to commemorate the businesses, beautiful trees and beautiful people that thrived in this area before the bridge was built, and to save the people who still stand proud and gather under the bridge,” also said Keith Plessy, a descendant of Homer Plessy’ ego.
The growth of local black businesses continues. Patrons and owners alike hope to evoke the spirit of Claiborne’s original entrepreneurs, empowering the community.
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