Following the recent Supreme Court decision to strike down affirmative action in higher education, conservative groups have now set their sights on diversity initiatives in corporate America. However, a new coalition of civil rights groups is fighting back.
Yesterday (Sept. 13), 13 groups announced the formation of the Council for Economic Opportunity & Social Justice, a council that aims to provide legal protection for workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The coalition includes organizations such as the NAACP, the National Action Network, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under the Law, and the Global Black Economic Forum. Their objective is to offer legal support to DEI efforts, respond to legislative attacks on diversity, and promote civic participation leading up to the next election cycle.
According to Alphonso David, president and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum, the council will develop strategic approaches to combat the right-wing attacks against marginalized communities, particularly Black people. David made this announcement at Fortune’s Impact Initiative conference in Atlanta.
The conservative crusade against workplace diversity
Earlier this summer, Republican state attorneys general warned Fortune 100 CEOs about the potential consequences of reversing affirmative action on corporate diversity programs. In response, Democratic politicians urged companies to double down on DEI efforts. This clash was anticipated, as Supreme Court comments had already indicated that the rulings would have implications for workplace diversity.
Now, right-wing organizations led by former Donald Trump staffers Stephen Miller and Mark Meadows, along with attorney Edward Blum, have launched lawsuits and issued letters to dismantle diversity programs.
The civil rights coalition was inspired, in part, by a lawsuit against the Fearless Fund, a venture capital firm led by Black women in Atlanta. Blum’s nonprofit, American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER), which previously won affirmative action cases against Harvard College and the University of North Carolina at the Supreme Court, sued Fearless Fund, claiming racial discrimination in its grant program for Black women who own small businesses. Alphonso David has offered pro-bono legal services to Fearless Fund.
Are companies retreating from diversity programs?
The data suggests that they are not.
Anti-diversity crusaders may be pressuring corporate leaders to abandon their DEI investments, but recent findings show that most workplaces are not succumbing to these provocations. An analysis from Textio, a firm dedicated to eliminating biased language from job postings, reveals that the use of terms like “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” has actually increased in job listings over the past year. The analysis examined millions of job postings by US companies, showing a small but significant rise in the inclusion of these terms.
Kieran Snyder, the CEO of Textio, emphasizes the importance of diversity as a business imperative, considering the country’s growing diversity. Snyder states that companies need to match the diversity of their customer base in order to succeed economically. Therefore, leaders should not retreat from their diversity initiatives, as indicated by their continued focus on diversity in job postings.
Bonnie Levine, an employment attorney specializing in workplace DEI, affirms that leaders should not abandon their initiatives, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action. The dedication to diversity can be seen in their job postings.
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