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The National Action Network’s 2025 convention was not a “funeral” for the DEI movement but rather a strategic mobilization effort. Rev. Al Sharpton used the event to announce a targeted boycott campaign against companies abandoning diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments after a 90-day review period. This followed President Trump’s executive order eliminating federal DEI programs and corporate backtracking on initiatives.
The convention featured panels with political leaders like Eric Adams and state attorneys general, demonstrating ongoing advocacy efforts. Sharpton framed DEI as a necessary remedy to systemic exclusion, comparing resistance to civil rights-era struggles: “If you want to put us back in the back of the bus, we going to do the Dr. King-Rosa Parks on you”. His organization vowed to leverage $1.6 trillion in Black buying power against companies retreating from DEI while promoting allies like Costco.
Fox News’ framing of the event as a potential “funeral” contrasts with NAN’s activism-focused agenda. Attendees defined DEI through lenses of economic justice and representation, rejecting narratives of decline. The convention served as both a warning to corporations and a rallying point for supporters, with Sharpton declaring: “We are the ones that you took everything and we still here”.
