Reverend Al Sharpton
The National Action Network (NAN) is preparing to launch a nationwide boycott against PepsiCo if the company doesn't reverse its recent decision to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the next three weeks.
In a powerful letter sent to PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta on Friday, Rev. Al Sharpton expressed "profound disappointment" that the company would abandon inclusion commitments that helped build its brand and fostered trust with millions of customers.
"You have walked away from equity," Sharpton wrote, arguing that removing DEI hiring and retention goals and dismantling community partnerships with minority organizations "are clear signals that political pressure has outweighed principle."
At the National Action Network Saturday Action Rally, Sharpton intensified his message:
"This morning at the National Action Network Saturday Action Rally, I gave PepsiCo 21 days. Not to think about it, to reverse course on walking away from DEI. We helped to build their brand. We won't fund our own exclusion. If they don't respond, we begin the boycott. We will not be silent while our dollars are used against our dignity."
Sharpton announced plans for a major demonstration on August 28th, the annual commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. "And on August 28th, we're taking it to Wall Street. From the African Burial Ground in the financial district, we will show them what economic power looks like. We're not asking. We're organizing. We're not your consumers. We are your conscience."
