Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
We are in the middle of the largest coordinated attack on racial justice in a long time. This assault has many faces: it’s conservative media figures and politicians parroting talking points about “woke” capitalism on the nightly news; it’s conservative state and local elected leaders passing laws that ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; and now it’s being carried out via lawsuits brought by well-funded legal activists targeting Black and brown organizations and the institutions that support them.
While their vicious onslaught began by focusing on higher education and affirmative action, it is now bleeding into the space of startups and entrepreneurship, aimed squarely at crippling organizations that issue grants that help black and brown innovators thrive in what is already a deeply challenging environment.
After the Supreme Court declared this June in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College that affirmative action is unconstitutional for higher education admissions, law firms began signaling that companies should “review” their diversity programs. Attorney generals from thirteen states have now threatened Fortune 100 CEOs with “serious legal consequences” if race is taken into consideration in hiring practices.
Most recently, equity efforts seeking to address generational discrimination endured by Black people and communities of color, including the work of the Fearless Fund and its Women of Color Grant, are now the target of lawsuits intended to intimidate the entire business community and impact-focused efforts.
While a federal appeals court has recently blocked the Black women-owned venture capitalist firm from issuing grants, the case is still ongoing, and the fight…
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