The Virginian Church, Alfred Street Baptist Church, has agreed to provide financial support to the Legion of Black Collegians following the University of Missouri’s announcement that it will end funding for several organizations. In April, the university shared that the Legion of Black Collegians—its historic Black student governing body — and other minority-associated groups would no longer receive funding. Additionally, these groups will not be recognized as university-sponsored organizations, according to Inside Higher Ed. The University of Missouri scrapping funding for minority groups In April, the university announced that the
Wells Fargo will settle a $100 million lawsuit alleging discrimination in loan approvals and misrepresentation over its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, according to Banking Dive. The lawsuit states that Wells Fargo approved less than 50% of Back homeowners’ refinancing applications in 2020. It also stated that the bank held fake job interviews with women and people of color to satisfy internal DEI requirements, without a genuine intent to hire them. The settlement The bank has agreed to pay $110 million, of which $100 million will go towards the Borrower
PayPal and the Department of Justice have agreed to a settlement concerning the company’s 2020 DEI initiative, which invested in Black and minority businesses. PayPal is required to launch a new Small Business Initiative that excludes characteristics such as race, according to a press release. “This Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump’s vow to root out illegal DEI from every corner of corporate America,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. PayPal’s settlement with the Department of Justice In 2020, PayPal announced the discriminatory Economic Opportunity Fund, which provided $530
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from asking universities to collect race information when admitting new students, according to Reuters. Colleges that participate in federal student financial programs were asked to share data on students’ race and sex. The department would use the information to monitor its compliance with the US Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that ended affirmative action in higher education. But US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston issued a temporary restraining order. Trump’s adminstration asking colleges to collect data about race The data
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is scrapping grants helping farmers secure land, according to POLITICO. Around $300 million was set aside to support nonprofits, tribal governments, and other organizations. These programs were created by The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program and gave underrepresented farms access to capital, planning, and efforts to reduce land loss. A letter shared with POLITICO said that the program “involved discriminatory preferences based on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” and “wasteful spending.” Scrapping grants for underserved farmers “USDA will prioritize unity, equality, meritocracy, and color-blindness in furtherance
BKR Capital, previously known as Black Innovation Capital, recently announced that its Fund II has closed CA$20 million (around $14.5 million), as reported by TechCrunch. The Fund II Managing partner Lise Birikundavyi told TechCrunch that the fund, which is close to reaching its CA$50 million target, will support “high-growth technology companies led by founders from the Black community, building solutions for the future of work, living, and global connectivity.” It will focus on backing companies in Canada, but will also consider supporting companies worldwide. Companies will receive $250,000 and $1.5 million
A judge has granted two Black women permission to proceed with their lawsuit against McDonald’s, Reuters reported. In the lawsuit, Victoria Guster-Hines and Domineca, two former McDonald’s VPs, claim that they faced discrimination because they were Black women and forced to leave after speaking up. The lawsuit is filed against McDonald’s USA, LLC; McDonald’s Corp.; Steven Easterbrook; Christopher Kempczinski; and Charles Strong. In a 2020 lawsuit, a regional president critiqued “Black woman attitude” and said that one of the plaintiffs and other McDonald’s employees were “angry Black women,” according to
Pastor Jamal Bryant announced on March 11 that the yearlong “Target Fast” had come to an end, following a meeting with Target CEO Michael Fiddelke. Bloomberg reported that Bryant cited progress on several key demands, including Target’s pledge to fulfil its $2 billion commitment to Black-owned businesses and a new employee inclusion programme called “Belonging.” But the women who organised the boycott before Bryant joined it have disputed both the announcement and his authority to make it. The boycott did not start with Bryant. On February 1, 2025, Minneapolis civil rights attorney Nekima
Fortune 500 companies cut public disclosure of diversity and inclusion efforts by 65% in 2026, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s latest Corporate Equality Index data. A press release from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF), attributes the pullback to a political and regulatory environment that leaves corporate leaders unsure how to communicate DEI while meeting expectations from employees, shareholders, and consumers. The shift matters because disclosure operates as a market signal and a governance artifact. When firms reduce public reporting, workers and investors lose a standardized way to
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened investigations into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at several major companies, including Google and Verizon, The Wall Street Journal reports. The DOJ is using the False Claims Act to assess whether companies misrepresented their hiring or promotion practices while receiving federal funds. DOJ Targets DEI Using Fraud Law In a May memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche instructed prosecutors to investigate and pursue cases against federal funding recipients that knowingly engage in “preferences that create benefits or burdens based on
