Harley-Davidson Motor Co. allegedly retaliated against an African American supplier diversity manager by stripping her of her role and duties after she objected to the company’s rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion practices, according to a lawsuit filed June 29 in Michigan federal court.
Per the complaint in Samuels v. Harley-Davidson Motor Co., shortly after the manager complained to her vice president that the company’s approach of “ghosting” certain organizations was detrimental to longstanding partnerships and could damage her professional reputation, she was allegedly directed to “cease and desist” from all business inclusion activities.
The manager, who was 70, was given a generic job title, with no clarity about her duties, the lawsuit said. She was also prohibited from attending external diversity events, while a younger white male co-worker was allowed to attend with manager approval, according to the complaint.
Additionally, Harley-Davidson allegedly told the manager she could continue to mentor white male entrepreneurs but not LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. After she objected, she was removed from the mentoring program and replaced by a younger white male, the lawsuit alleged.
The manager subsequently filed a formal complaint with Harley-Davidson’s corporate compliance department. A few months later, when she inquired about the status of an investigation, she was allegedly told it had been completed but that the company would not share information.
She then sued, alleging the company discriminated against her because of her race and sex and retaliated against her for engaging in protected activity, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She also alleged age discrimination, in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
Harley-Davidson did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
The alleged retaliation began in August 2024, the complaint said. This was when Harley-Davidson announced it had “not operated a DEI function” since April 2024 and no longer considered diversity among its suppliers an objective.
In the announcement, the motorcycle company said it “was saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few years,” seemingly referring to online attacks against its diversity and inclusion practices reportedly spearheaded by activist Robby Starbuck, who led boycotts against employers because of their DEI policies.
Pressure from social media and the Trump administration has led several high-profile corporations, including Morgan Stanley, Capital One and Accenture, to back away from DEI.
For some companies, this has triggered accusations of discrimination by minority employees. In May, IBM was sued for the second time in less than a year for allegedly violating Title VII. Similar to the Harley-Davidson lawsuit, an African American executive claimed she was fired because of her race and allegedly in response to White House efforts to end employment-related DEI programs.
The future of corporate inclusion is going to be a “bumpy” ride over the next two years, SHRM CEO and president Johnny Taylor, Jr. told HR Dive last month at SHRM’s annual conference in Orlando. HR professionals will need to reorient themselves, switching their focus from groups that were historically underrepresented and discriminated against to talent from all backgrounds, Taylor said.