Following a weeks-long social media campaign targeting
Harley-Davidson’s corporate policies and leadership, the company has responded to claims that it has “gone woke.”
Late last month,
Robby Starbuck, a conservative activist with more than half a million followers on X (formerly Twitter), launched a campaign to “expose” Harley-Davidson. Starbuck has targeted other companies including Tractor Supply and John Deere.
Starbuck listed nearly 20 of his “concerns” with Harley, ranging from its involvement in pride events and trainings aimed at supporting the LGBTQ+ community, to its commitment to DEI policies and legislation.
“I don’t think the values at corporate reflect the values of nearly any Harley-Davidson bikers,” said Starbuck. “Do Harley riders want the money they spend at Harley to be used later by corporate to push an ideology that’s diametrically opposed to their own values?”
Starbuck repeatedly shared an interview with
Jochen Zeitz, chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson, during which Zeitz says a fellow businessman referred to him as “the sustainable Taliban.”
Starbuck says the video shows Zeitz is a “far left activist.”
Starbuck has called on the company to “fire their woke CEO” and eliminate his policies. His call to action gained the attention of national news outlets including
Fox News and the
New York Post.
In response to Starbuck’s campaign, several videos of Harley-Davidson riders removing the Harley shield from their motorcycles began to circulate online.
On Monday, Harley-Davidson
issued a statement saying company leadership is “saddened” by the negativity being shared on social media.
“For over 120 years, Harley-Davidson has brought the joy of motorcycling to riders around the world, no matter who they are, where they come from or what they believe in,” reads the statement. “We have a guiding principle: United We Ride. It defines how we run our business, treat our people, and underscores our commitment to welcoming all.”
Following an internal stakeholder review that was launched earlier this year, Harley-Davidson is making some changes to its employee training and sponsorships and affiliations.
The company says it has not operated a “DEI function” since April and that it does not have hiring quotas or supplier diversity spending goals.
Moving forward, all business employee resource groups will have executive management to ensure each group is solely focused on professional development, networking, and mentoring.
As for the company’s sponsorships and affiliations, all sponsorship activities must now be approved through the company itself or through the Harley-Davidson Foundation.
“As a consumer brand, we will focus exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling and retaining our loyal riding community in addition to the support we already provide to first responders, active military members and veterans,” according to Monday’s statement.
Finally, all employee training will be related to the needs of the business and “absent of socially motivated content” in the future. The company said only legally required training has ever been mandatory at Harley-Davidson.
The company will no longer participate in Human Rights Campaign scoring. HRC's Corporate Equality Index is the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.
“We believe having both a broad employee and customer base is good for business and that ultimately everybody should experience the joy of riding a Harley-Davidson,” reads the statement from the company. “We remain committed to listening to all members of our community as we continue our journey together as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world.”
