Protesters demand Wells Fargo reinstate DEI, climate initiatives
The demonstration was part of a national push to bring attention to changes the company has made this year.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Protesters gathered outside Wells Fargo’s Uptown headquarters Friday afternoon, demanding the bank reinstate diversity and climate initiatives rolled back since President Donald Trump took office.
The demonstration was part of a national push to bring attention to changes the company has made this year, according to organizers who delivered petitions with their requests to local branches throughout the morning.
Rev. Amy Brooks-Paradise led about a dozen protesters in reading their demands aloud, including reinstating climate goals.
Weeks after Trump’s inauguration, Wells Fargo abandoned its goal of net zero financed emissions by 2050 and a shorter-term goal for 2030.
“We need to stop having a fossil fuel economy,” Rev. Brooks-Paradise said. “We really want them to reinstate those goals and to actively work hard with other banks and other financiers to make a just transition to a clean energy future.”
Wells Fargo was among many financial companies that rolled back DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — practices in senior-level hiring.
“It’s wealth allocation,” Brooks-Paradise said. “If everybody who has a lot of money and makes those big salaries looks like me, it means that wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few.”
Protester Holli Adams said Wells Fargo stands out among major banks for its approach to rolling back these initiatives.
“They’ve just said ‘no absolutely not gonna keep to that’ more than Chase, more than Bank of America,” Adams said. “The time has come.”
WCNC Charlotte reached out to Wells Fargo, who declined to comment on the protest.
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