The “anti-woke” movement in the U.S. has made waves this year, most notably by winning a pair of polarizing Supreme Court cases challenging the legality of affirmative action programs at colleges. That ruling has in turn prompted some Republican lawmakers to call into question diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at American companies and inspired legal threats against companies that leverage inclusive policies to drive their corporate strategy.
Now, a newly formed coalition of 13 civil and human rights groups has come together to combat the conservative movement and its attempts to block companies' efforts to level the playing field for employees of color. Alphonso David, president and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum, announced the formation of the Council for Economic Opportunity & Social Justice at Fortune’s Impact Initiative conference in Atlanta today. The goal, he told Fortune, is to "come up with coordinated, strategic approaches to the right-wing attacks that we're seeing against marginalized communities, and specifically black people all over this country."
