Home Depot ‘Privilege’ Training Guide Goes Viral

The company is now backing away from any connection with the controversial materials after the guide went viral and customers threatened to boycott.

QUICK FACTS:
  • One woman’s tweet went viral after she posted photos of a handout supposedly posted in the break room at a Canadian Home Depot.
  • Twitter users responded, prompting tens of thousands of tweets commenting on the handout as well as Home Depot themselves, according to Market Watch.
  • According to a report by The New York Post, the company was “hammered” over the flyer.
  • A spokeswoman from Home Depot’s US headquarters confirmed to The Post that the white privilege notice was material from its Canadian division.
WHAT THE HANDOUT SAID:
  • “Leading Practices: Unpacking Privilege,” was at the top of the sheet photographed by a Home Depot employee. The paper also highlights “social advantages” such as white privilege, class privilege, Christian privilege, and cisgender privilege that supposedly benefit some at the detriment of others.
  • One example offered in the educational material stated, “If you’re confident that the police exist to protect you, you have white privilege.”
  • Another said, “If you can expect time off from work to celebrate your religious holidays, you have Christian privilege.”
  • Additionally, being able-bodied, heterosexual, and male are considered types of privilege. 
BACKGROUND:
  • A company spokesperson told MarketWatch via email that while the “Unpacking Privilege” guide is indeed authentic, it nevertheless “seems to have very limited views.” 
  • The rep added that “While we fully support diversity across our company, this material was not created or approved by our corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion department. This was a resource in our Canadian division and not part of any required programming.” 

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