Overview

• SHRM announced on Sept. 9 that Starbuck will appear with CNN commentator Van Jones at the late‑October Blueprint conference in Louisville, moderated by SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr.
• In comments to HR Dive, SHRM defended the session as fostering "viewpoint diversity" and "inclusive, respectful dialogue."
• HR professionals and inclusion consultants criticized the invitation, saying it legitimizes anti‑DEI activism and sets up a false equivalency in workplace equity debates.
• Starbuck has called DEI "poison," claims credit for pressuring firms such as Tractor Supply and John Deere to scale back programs, and is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
• SHRM has not signaled any program changes in response to the pushback, and Blueprint replaces the prior Inclusion conference with language stressing "workplace unifying" and "business accretive" diversity.