Coaching and digital education company Career Love LLC is launching a free Career Love Community, a digital space helping Black women who have been laid off from their jobs. Founded by career coach and DEI Mercedes Swan, the initiative aims to provide a space where Black women can access resources, network, and support after experiencing job loss. “Black women are tired of surviving systems and spaces that weren’t built for us,” Swan said in a press release. “We deserve more, and I am excited to build a safe community where
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
Burberry, a British fashion house, has cut Geoffrey Williams, the head of diversity, from his role. “As part of a wider restructure, Burberry has chosen to integrate responsibility for diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization,” Williams wrote in a LinkedIn post. He continued: “This reflects a belief that DEI should be embedded throughout the culture and owned by leaders across the business. The successful transition from a centralised function to a shared responsibility will help ensure long-term sustainability.” Burberry scrapping diversity role Burberry is currently in the midst of
Tabitha Brown says her business has taken a “major hit” following boycotts of Target earlier this year. The backlash came after Target announced in January 2025 that it would end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including programs supporting Black- and minority-owned brands. Brown, who sold home décor and hair care lines through the retailer, has since pivoted with the April launch of her Tab & Chance fragrance, sold directly to consumers. Target Boycott affecting Black Businsesses When the boycott was announced, Brown said she understood the desire for
Wells Fargo has agreed to settle a federal class-action lawsuit over allegations that it misrepresented its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, The Charlotte Observer reports. The lawsuit followed reports 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. Sham Interviews to meet diversity targets The class-action suit stems from New York Times reports in 2022, which claimed that Wells Fargo managers were instructed to conduct “sham” interviews for roles that were already filled.
Wells Fargo has quietly changed its public-facing DEI language, removing all diversity language, according to HR Brew. The outlet compared the financial services company’s current website with an earlier version recovered from an internet archive. The program is now framed as “inclusion and accessibility,” a rebrand that mirrors a wider corporate trend of softening or rephrasing diversity commitments amid political and legal backlash. Wells Fargo quietly deleting DEI from its website In February, Wells Fargo announced that it would no longer need hiring managers to consider a diverse slate of candidates
The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump Administration to cut grants issued by the National Institutes of Health in a bid to end federal DEI efforts. The decision was made on Thursday, the 21st of August, with the court being split 5-4 on the ruling, according to The Guardian. The court’s ruling marks a significant reversal, enabling the administration to reinstate grants that it had begun cutting in Late February. The split court decision The case was split among the Supreme Court’s nine justices, with three appointed by Trump, leading to a
Target has struggled to recover from boycotts and backlash following its rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The retailer’s foot traffic has remained low, according to data from analytics platform Placer.ai. Since Q1 2024, the company’s year-over-year foot traffic changes have closely mirrored its revenue shifts, Retail Brew reports, differing by an average of just 1.2 percentage points over the past five quarters. Scaling Back DEI Efforts In January, Target announced that it would end its three-year DEI goals, conclude its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives in
A federal judge has struck down two Trump administration directives that sought to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools and universities. Judge Stephanie Gallagher of the US District Court in Maryland ruled that the Department of Education violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that would maintain its DEI initiatives, The Guardian reports. The department’s guidance had been on hold since April, when three federal judges temporarily blocked parts of the department’s anti-DEI measures. Gallagher’s ruling followed a motion for summary
President Donald Trump has signed a new order that requires universities to share detailed data on the demographics of their incoming classes each year, according to The Independent. The order will allow Department of Education officials to see if universities are still using banned programs that support underrepresented groups. A fact sheet shared with The Independent by a White House official says Trump’s presidential memorandum to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon gives her permission to require “transparency” from higher education institutions receiving federal funds in the form of student aid with a “revamp” of
