"Our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary," Costco's board wrote last month.Gabbi Shaw/Business InsiderCostco appears to be bucking the anti-DEI wave with its defense of its diversity initiatives.Data published last year suggests shareholders largely support diversity efforts.Costco's move challenges the perceived popularity of anti-DEI proposals.Costco's board didn't mince words when it came to supporting the company's stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion — a move that openly challenges the staying power of DEI critics ahead of a new presidential administration that has been critical of the measures."Our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary," the board wrote last month in its proxy statement in response to a shareholder proposal from the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research, which would have the company prepare a report on its DEI efforts.Costco's recommendation that shareholders vote against the proposal stands in contrast to several major companies opting to roll back their DEI initiatives over the past year and a half amid a slate of lawsuits and shareholder proposals.