The number of ethnic minorities and women appointed to S&P 500 corporate boards has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade. This data comes from new research by executive search firm Spencer Stuart, with Reuters interviews delving into the topic further. This comes after President Trump revoked a six-decade-old executive order that prohibited workplace discrimination by federal contractors. Low level of ethnic minorities and women in S&P 500 Research from Spencer Stuart found that only 40% of the 364 new independent directors selected for S&P 500 boards
The US Department of Justice has accused the University of California, San Diego’s medical school of discriminating against White and Asian applicants by favouring Black and Hispanic applicants. The DOJ believes that UC San Diego’s medical school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law bans discrimination based on race, colour, or national origin in initiatives or activities that receive federal aid. The DOJ accusing UC San Diego of discrimination against white students In a letter published on Monday, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s civil rights division,
Civil rights organisations and nonprofits are supporting a letter signed by members of Congress that calls for transparency about the effects of the Trump administration’s attacks on DEI. In February, members of Congress demanded records highlighting the effects of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) rollbacks, according to a press release. In the letter, lawmakers sought out information about how President Donald Trump’s actions affected the federal workforce. “Your administration has slashed billions of dollars in DEIA-related funding, as well as jeopardised nearly $1 billion in life-saving National Institutes of
Actress Laverne Cox has shared how the Trump administration has affected her livelihood. Cox, who is known for her breakout role on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, explains that she’s “lost so much money” because brands are very scared to work with her amid the ongoing rollback of DEI programs. Laverne Cox being affected by DEI rollbacks Cox, whose book Transcendent was released in June, told Attitude Uncut that she’s been working hard to get out of a financial hole after she booked Orange Is The New Black. “But then I was
$942 million — or just 0.32% of total US venture funding went to companies with a Black founder or co-founder in 2025, according to Crunchbase data. The tide has turned slightly in 2025, with US-based startups founded or co-founded by a Black founder raising $643 million. Most of this funding was raised in the first quarter of the year, marking it the most raised in a single quarter since Q2 2022, when $653 million was raised by a Black founder or co-founder. However, Crunchbase highlights that this is still a
Black Women’s unemployment rate has reached 7.3% in 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last year, Black women’s unemployment rate increased from 5.1% in March to 6.1% in April, reached an all-time high of 6.2% in May, then dropped to 5.8% in June, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data reported by The 19th. DEI and AI affecting Black women’s employability Black women are more likely to be in departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, which have been targeted for cuts by DOGE.
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
The word “Black” has been erased from a set of bills aimed at addressing the Black maternal health crisis, according to The 19th. The Momnibus Act, which was filed in March, was called the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act in 2023, and was previously known as the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 and the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020. Changes to the word ‘Black’ in the bill References to the word “Black” in the bill have changed over time. In 2020, the text included numerous references to Black women. These were
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
