The “Reimagine Tomorrow” verbiage has been removed from the most recent Walt Disney Company corporate investor report filing.
According to NPR, The Walt Disney Company is among several companies to quietly remove DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) phrasing from their most recent corporate filings.
While some companies completely removed DEI verbiage, Disney shortened the section in a report filed this past November removing any reference to the previous “Reimagine Tomorrow” initiative which was first launched in 2021.
The initiative highlighted Disney’s efforts to showcase stories and talent from underrepresented communities, as well as its intentions for the future.
Some of the bold actions that were planned included having 50% of characters from scripted offerings across Disney General Entertainment come from underrepresented groups as well as adopting inclusion standards across all content.
However, this initiative came under attack last year as America First Legal (AFL), a conservative nonprofit organization, filed a federal civil rights complaint against The Walt Disney Company for “violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by engaging in illegal race, sex, and national origin discrimination.”
The complaint focused on Disney’s “Reimagine Tomorrow” diversity initiative, which AFL claims “strongly suggests that race, color, religion, sex, or national origin are often the only motivating factor in Disney’s hiring, training, and promotion decisions,” and that Disney is “intentionally discriminating against white American men, Christians, and Jews simply because of their race, sex, religion, and citizenship.” The full, formal complaint can be read here.
While there is no word on whether this complaint caused this removal of the “Reimagine Tomorrow” initiative, Disney has added a new section to the filing which promises to “hire, train, and support U.S. military veterans” in a program called Heroes Work Here.
A new website page has also been developed where The Walt Disney Company states they are “committed to creating a diverse workforce of talented people who foster an inclusive company culture that enables us to expand our reach across global markets and make a positive impact on our communities.” The page also has links to explore Disney’s efforts in hiring, culture, market reach, and community.
Disney representatives declined to comment on the changes, according to NPR.
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If we’re going to reimagine tomorrow then we should reimagine how we approach social issues and fix the underlying problems. Putting people in jobs they are not qualified for will lead to disaster for those you are trying to help. Instead we should be learning how to make people more qualified so that they can earn the positions rather than be given the positions.