Al Sharpton Puts Pepsi ‘On Notice’ Over Dropped DEI Commitment

MSNBC host and National Action Network (NAN) founder Al Sharpton has issued a public warning to PepsiCo, calling on the company to reverse its decision to reduce its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments or face a boycott, as reported by Fox News.

During a broadcast of his MSNBC weekend program on Saturday, Sharpton addressed the issue, referencing discussions held during NAN’s annual convention last week.

“Martin Luther King the third, and others joined me as we put on notice those companies, like Pepsi-Cola, that we will withdraw patronage from those that do not live up to what they voluntarily committed in DEI.”

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The boycott threat centers around internal policy changes announced by PepsiCo in February.

This boycott will be organized, data-driven, and strategic. We’re not just pulling back our dollars, we’re tracking them.

Yesterday, we introduced the technology that will fuel the movement. A real time platform, a national boycott registry, and a ticker that monitors every… pic.twitter.com/WnV1sx5MAD

— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) April 7, 2025

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According to a memo cited by the Associated Press, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta informed employees that the company would no longer maintain specific goals for minority representation at the managerial level or in its supplier base.

In response, Sharpton sent a letter to Pepsi expressing his “profound disappointment” in the company’s policy shift. “You have walked away from equity,” Sharpton wrote.

He reiterated his position at NAN’s convention and gave the company a deadline.

“This weekend at the National Action Network Saturday Action Rally, I gave PepsiCo 21 days. Not to think about it, to reverse course on walking away from DEI,” Sharpton posted on X on Monday.

“We helped to build their brand. We won’t fund our own exclusion. If they don’t respond, we begin the boycott. We will not be silent while our dollars are used against our dignity.”

This weekend at the National Action Network Saturday Action Rally, I gave PepsiCo 21 days. Not to think about it, to reverse course on walking away from DEI.

We helped to build their brand. We won’t fund our own exclusion.

If they don’t respond, we begin the boycott. We will… pic.twitter.com/KRnO6RKzDA

— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) April 7, 2025

Sharpton also tied the threat to a broader push for accountability on DEI across major corporations. At a Martin Luther King Jr. Day rally in January, he made a similar call for action.

“Why do we have DEI? We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion. DEI was a remedy to the racial institutionalized bigotry practice in academia and in these corporations,” he said.

“Now, if you want to put us back in the back of the bus, we going to do the Dr. King-Rosa Parks on you.”

He added: “You must have forgot who we are. We are the ones that you took everything, and we still here.”

Sharpton announced NAN will begin a months-long study to examine the connection between corporate profits and the rollback of DEI policies.

Sharpton has a history of leading public campaigns against companies seen as moving away from progressive racial initiatives. PepsiCo and MSNBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Sharpton’s dual role as a political activist and television host has also drawn scrutiny in the past.

Following the 2024 presidential election, it was revealed that then-candidate Kamala Harris’s campaign donated $500,000 to NAN shortly before a favorable Oct. 20 interview with Sharpton aired. MSNBC later said it was unaware of the donation.

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