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
Diversity Lab, a legal industry consulting firm that promotes diversity practices in law firms and corporate legal departments, is closing its doors due to “meritless attacks by government agencies,” according to its founder. The US Federal Trade Commission attempted to enforce a settlement that would ban the firm from collecting or sharing law-firm-specific data and shut down its diversity certification program, as per Reuters. Diversity Lab, founded in 2013, furloughed its 17 employees and paused operations as it sought to resist the FTC’s investigation, which brought the firm to the
A new book that highlights how Black mid-career technology professionals are being pushed out of the job market has recently been published. The author, veteran career strategist and corporate executive Byron K. Veasey, argues that Black professionals are navigating a hiring market with several structural barriers. The Triple Barrier Locked Out: Proven Strategies to Navigate ATS Filters, Overcome Workplace Bias, and Win Senior-Level Roles in a Shifting Job Market for Black Professionals highlights what Veasay calls the Triple Barrier: a combination of algorithmic filtering, human bias, and the systematic dismantling
$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
On Friday, October 9, Black Tech Fest (BTF) hosted its fifth annual festival, which brings tech professionals, creatives, and academics. BTF hosts a range of workshops and talks by some of the biggest names in the tech and creative industry. For the first time since its existence, the UK government declined BTF’s invitation to speak at the festival. BTF planned to ask the UK government questions related to biases in AI, mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting, and the DEI pullback. As a festival that champions diversity and inclusion, it was
DEI Under Fire is our monthly series that keeps you up-to-date on the latest DEI announcements and changes from the nation’s leading companies. This month, we discovered that more companies are rejecting the anti-DEI wave. Bristol Myers Squibb stood firm on their DEI efforts, highlighting the importance of an inclusive workforce. Berkshire Hathaway also backed its DEI initiatives as shareholders rejected an anti-DEI proposal. Goldman Sachs, however, removed references associated with DEI on its website. Here are some of the latest changes we think you should know about. Remember to
DEI Under Fire is our monthly series that keeps you up-to-date on the latest DEI announcements and changes from the nation’s leading companies. This month, we discovered that Lego removed terms associated with diversity from its annual sustainability report despite adding more “diverse” characters to make its toys more inclusive. NASA fired Neela Rajendra, an Indian-origin official who served as the chief of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Yahoo removed multiple pages and other sections associated with DEI policies from its website. Here are some of the latest changes we
