In January 2025, Woke Broke List posted what it said was a Kohl’s email telling employees a DEI course was required. Kohl’s later dropped the DEI label, but not the program behind it. That January 28, 2025 post called for a boycott under the hashtag #Boycott. Nearly two years later, the case for that boycott is stronger, not weaker.
The Email in the Post
The post’s first screenshot shows what it presents as a Kohl’s email, dated January 26, 2025, assigning a 15-minute “Inclusive Culture (eLearning)” course. The email in the post says: “We’re committed to requiring training to foster a workplace of belonging as part of our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategy.” It tells employees the course sits in their “Required For You” section and is “only accessible to you at your work location while on the clock.” That passage sits under a header reading “No Action Required:” and tells employees to “review this requirement with your manager on your next schedule shift.” According to the email, the course could only be taken at work, on the clock.
Woke Broke List said Kohl’s was “doubling down on anti-white male policies.”
Kohl’s Own Words on DEI
Two of the post’s screenshots match Kohl’s DEI page as archived on January 28, 2025, titled “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Kohl’s.” That archived page pointed readers to the company’s 2023 Kohl’s Cares Report.
That 2023 Kohl’s Cares Report shows how deep this ran. Kohl’s 2023 report says its DEI strategy was “Led by our Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and the DEI team.” It says the company is “empowering diverse-owned brands” and will “continue to feature diverse-owned and -founded brands” in its in-store marketing. It committed “$20 million in support to diverse communities from 2022 to 2025.”
That is not a one-off. That is a company-wide agenda, from the sales floor to the company’s charitable giving.
New Name, Same Agenda
Today, the same web address no longer says “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.” It now reads “Inclusion & Belonging at Kohl’s”, and the company says it is “committed to our inclusion & belonging strategy.” That strategy, the page says, is “focused on Our People, Our Customers, and Our Community,” the same three pillars its archived DEI page listed for its “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy.” The page says Kohl’s has “eight Business Resource Groups (BRGs) with more than 8,000 unique members,” though it lists six. The URL still ends in “dei-at-kohls.”
Changing the label is not the same as changing course. Customers can read past a rebrand.
This article covers the inside of the company: the training Kohl’s required of its employees and the rebrand that followed. For what Kohl’s put on its shelves and what its sales have done since, see How Kohl’s Woke Agenda Is Driving Customers Away. For every sourced finding behind its D (81/100) grade, see the Kohl’s Woke Company Report.
Kohl’s Has Been Here Before
This isn’t Kohl’s first run-in with conservative shoppers. In June 2024, Newsweek reported that conservative activists called for a boycott after the Milwaukee-based retailer said it would not sponsor the 2024 Republican National Convention in its own hometown. A Kohl’s spokesperson told Newsweek that “Kohl’s is not a political organization nor donor and is not sponsoring nor engaging in any specific RNC events,” and said it took the same approach when the DNC was planned for Milwaukee.
Kohl’s says it stays out of politics. Its own 2023 report described a DEI strategy “Led by our Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and the DEI team” and a $20 million commitment for 2022 to 2025. Shoppers can judge which one tells you more about where the company stands.
Update, Nov. 10, 2026: The Same Strategy, in Writing to Shareholders
The rebrand has now reached Kohl’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Its proxy statement for the 2026 annual meeting, filed April 10, 2026, says: “We are committed to our inclusion and belonging strategy, which focuses on Our People, Our Customers, and Our Community.” That is the same three-pillar structure the archived DEI page described, now under the new name. The proxy also says Kohl’s will “strive to celebrate our differences and help more customers see themselves reflected in our brands” (Kohl’s 2026 proxy statement).
The company’s leadership has changed in the meantime. In May 2025 the board fired CEO Ashley Buchanan for cause after an investigation into vendor transactions that it said “involved undisclosed conflicts of interest” and that it said were unrelated to the company’s performance (Kohl’s). Michael Bender was named permanent CEO in November 2025 (CNBC). A new CEO has not meant a new direction on this. The 2026 filing keeps the strategy in place.
Why the Boycott Still Matters
A boycott is the one message a retailer cannot spin. Kohl’s tied its marketing and giving to DEI goals, and then renamed the program instead of ending it. Customers are free to make a choice of their own and take their money elsewhere.
Until Kohl’s drops DEI for real, not just the acronym, the boycott stands.
What do you think about Kohl’s DEI push and its “Inclusion & Belonging” rebrand? Leave a comment below, share this article with friends, and subscribe to our newsletter for updates on this and related stories.
Photo: Kohl’s, Orchard Center, Calverton, Maryland. G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.