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A lawsuit stating Google favored white and Asian workers has been settled. According to CNN, Ana Cantu, a former Google employee who identifies as Mexican and racially Indigenous, brought forward a lawsuit that claimed the tech giant offered lower salaries and job levels to those of Hispanic, Latino, Native American, Indigenous, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Alaska Native employees at Google. It was filed in 2021. In the lawsuit, Cantu said that during her seven-year tenure working in Google’s people operations and cloud departments, she was not given a promotion or salary increase. She alleged that white and Asian workers with the same work performance were promoted and received raises, while other workers who complained about the treatment had these opportunities withheld. Cantu left the company in September 2021, claiming Google did not adhere to the California Equal Pay Act. Additionally, leaked documents showed about 6,632 diverse employees reported...
Researchers have developed algorithms that accurately depict coily Black hair in computer graphics — a historic advancement for Black characters in media. According to The Guardian, AM Darke, an associate professor in the department of performance, play, and design at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Theodore Kim, a professor of computer science at the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science, co-authored the study. Despite increased representation and numerous papers published on computer graphics algorithms over the past 50 years — particularly regarding hair — Kim noted that representations of Black hair have remained relatively unchanged. Due to a lack of appropriate formulas, animators have struggled to accurately depict textures like type 4C hair , characterized by tightly coiled curls. “There’s only one or two hairstyles that people gravitate towards because they find that it’s culturally approved,” Kim said. “The vast diversity of type four hair is then...
The Supreme Court appears to be in favor of lowering the standard for what is required to prove job discrimination when it comes to people who are white, straight, or male. According to The Washington Post, a discrimination lawsuit had been filed in 2020 by Marlean Ames. She had previously been employed at the Ohio government agency managing juvenile corrections. Ames says her position was given to a young gay man in 2019. Then someone else she considered less qualified later received a promotion that she thought she deserved. Ames is a heterosexual white woman and stated that this person was a lesbian. The lower court did not see enough evidence to prove job discrimination had taken place, therefore it ruled against her. For those from majority backgrounds, more evidence is required to show proof that discrimination in the workplace occurred. However, a ruling in Ames’ favor could lead to more “reverse discrimination” lawsuits, Reuters notes. A strong defense would be that majority...
Seattle, WA-based Starbucks plans to lay off 1,100 corporate support employees as part of an effort to streamline operations and improve efficiency. On Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol announced in a news release that those affected will receive notice on Feb. 25. The decision comes after senior leaders began “evaluating the role, structure, and size” of the coffee chain’s global corporate teams in January. “I recognize the news is difficult. It is not a decision the leadership team took lightly,” Niccol wrote. “We understand the real effect this has on partners’ lives and their families. We believe it’s a necessary change to position Starbucks for future success — and to ensure we deliver for our green apron partners and the customers they serve.” The release noted that the layoffs do not affect Starbucks retail store employees or baristas. While the plan also includes eliminating several hundred additional open and unfilled positions, Niccol said the company will...
A scholarship that provided assistance to HBCU students will no longer exist. In 1992, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) created the 1890 National Scholars Program through a collaboration with 1890 land-grant universities, which refer to the 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that benefited from resources established by the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890, according to Montana State University. The first act was established to ensure broader access to education in agriculture, military tactics, and engineering for the working class, and the second act provided further funding to include HBCUs. As for the 1890 National Scholars Program, it aims to increase representation at these schools by funding students, particularly from rural and underserved communities, i n food, agriculture, natural resource, and other related sciences, according to the USDA website. Recipients benefit from full tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Eligibility requirements...
Meta is being sued for allegedly directly contributing to education inequities in Black communities. A lawsuit filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP on behalf of the Equal Rights Center (ERC) cites that Meta’s algorithm has shown bias by directing ads for for-profit colleges and universities to Black communities. In contrast, more ads featuring public and nonprofit colleges and universities were shown to white users. “Relegating Black students to receive information about for-profit schools, which often provide lower quality education at greater financial cost, also sends a negative message about who belongs in which types of institutions,” a statement from an email sent to AFROTECH™ by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights read. The difference between the two types of institutions is that for-profit colleges focus on generating profits...
Mastercard has agreed to settle a discrimination lawsuit impacting its minority employees. According to a press release, the fintech company had allegedly been underpaying its female, Black, and Hispanic employees. T he class-action lawsuit — which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York — claims 7,500 employees in job levels 4-10 across the United States dating back to September 2016 were impacted. Details in the lawsuit share that the women and people of color received less compensation for conducting equivalent work to their male and white counterparts, the New York Times reports. The major fintech company had agreed to pay a $26 million settlement prior to the lawsuits filing on Jan. 14, 2025. The settlement now awaits approval from the court. “We are very pleased to have reached this nationwide settlement with Mastercard, which we believe represents a fair compromise,” Cara E. Greene, partner at Outten & Golden LLP and lead counsel for the...
Concerns about the future have intensified as Donald Trump prepares to be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president. The Washington Post reports minority- and women-owned businesses have looming concerns over contracts, citing a potential loss of $70 billion in annual contracts amid legal disputes affecting government programs for “disadvantaged” firms. Within the Black community, legal issues were prevalent amid Fearless Fund’s ongoing litigation, which has now been settled. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the firm, led by founding partner Arian Simone, was sued by Edward Blum and his American Alliance for Equal Rights group in August 2023 over its Strivers Grant program. The $20,000 grant backed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Mastercard had been aimed at small businesses primarily owned by Black women, and the activist group accused the investment firm of “explicit racial exclusion.” The group had already been victorious in the Supreme Court over race-based affirmative action policies....
High-performing women reportedly face more judgment compared to their male counterparts. Management software company Textio released a report surveying 450 participants that reveals a drastic difference among workplace feedback depending on a person’s gender or race. In fact, 67% of men said they were described as “intelligent,” while only 32% of women said they received the same description. When considering race, the numbers dwindle with 18% of Black workers saying they were labeled as intelligent in comparison to nearly 50% for white and Asian workers. With traits that include “likable,” “brilliant, “genius,” “gifted,” and “talented,” women still reportedly heard that feedback less than men. Even when surveyed on receiving negative feedback, women stated they experienced this at a higher rate with 56% being labeled as “ unlikable” in comparison to 16% of men, and 78% of women said they were called “emotional” in comparison to 11% of men. On top of this, women are seven times more...
Direct payouts from the Biden administration will be allocated to Black farmers who have faced discrimination. ABC News reports Black farmers acknowledge that they have been discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) when it comes to loans. The outlet notes many had been denied loans or received loans that were less than their white counterparts. Some that did receive loans had even reported having their property foreclosed on sooner than was typical when they experienced issues paying. Denial was the case for Wardell Carter, whose family has owned 85 acres of land in Mississippi since 1939. Yet despite their longevity, they have never been able to access a loan application. Instead, they were greeted by USDA loan officers with a slammed door, and if they persisted they were faced with the reality of having a cop called to their home, he says. Due to these challenges, it prevented the family from purchasing a tractor for years. So, they had to rely on a horse...
Elon Musk has shared a fake AI video that labels Vice President Kamala Harris as the “ultimate diversity hire.” Harris is actively campaigning to receive the official Democratic nomination as she looks to become the 47th U.S. president, facing off against former President Donald Trump. She has already received the blessing of President Joe Biden, who will no longer be running for re-election. “On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” Harris wrote on Instagram. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) Harris’s announcement has been met with skepticism. As AFROTECH™ previously...
Fearless Fund has been barred temporarily from providing funding to Black entrepreneurs. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the venture capital fund had been sued by Edward Blum and his American Alliance for Equal Rights group in August 2023 for “explicit racial exclusion” by creating a grant program dedicated solely to Black women, The Washington Post shares. Initially, U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash had ruled in favor of Fearless Fund, but the verdict was blocked by a panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Sept. 30, 2023. Fearless Fund, looking to retract the verdict, filed to appeal the September ruling. In the most recent update, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has temporarily blocked Fearless Fund from continuing its efforts to support Black women entrepreneurs with funding, CNN reports . The panel judges ruled the Fearless Fund’s Fearless Strivers Grant Contest is “substantially likely to violate” Title 42 of the US Code’s provisions,...
A lawsuit has been filed against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Equal Protection Project, which is under the Legal Insurrection Foundation, is suing MIT for its program supporting women of color, CRWN ( The Creative Regal Women of kNowledge), according to Boston.com. The nonprofit claims that the program is exclusionary, discriminatory, and violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 because “only undergraduate ‘women of color’ can participate in the program.” “We bring this civil rights complaint against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for creating, supporting and promoting a program for undergraduate students — called the Creative Regal Women of Knowledge, or ‘The CRWN’ — that engages in invidious discrimination on the basis of race, color and sex,” foundation founder William A. Jacobson wrote in the complaint, per the outlet. In a follow-up statement, he added. “It is sad and disheartening to...
Colorado is taking a stand to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. On May 8, 2024, the Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Bill 24-205 (SB205), Forbes reports. In the bill’s summary, it wrote that it “requires a developer of a high-risk artificial intelligence system (high-risk system) to use reasonable care to avoid algorithmic discrimination in the high-risk system.” Moreover, the bill described high-risk artificial intelligence systems as any machine-based system that plays a role in consequential decisions being made in education enrollment and education opportunities, employment and employment opportunities, financial and lending services, essential government services, healthcare services, housing, insurance, or legal services. According to Forbes, the bill marks Colorado as the first U.S. state to establish a comprehensive law that not only addresses utilizing AI in employment but also in other critical sectors. On May 17, Governor of Colorado Jared...
Al Roker and his production company, Al Roker Entertainment, have been sued for allegedly not following through with a commitment to diversity. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bill Schultz filed a lawsuit against the “Today” host and CEO’s company as he claims that executives failed to commit to its DEI initiative, which would bring Black writers on board for PBS’s “Weather Hunters.” Al Roker Entertainment is the owner of the animated children’s show. As an executive producer for “Weather Hunters,” Schultz addressed the issue at hand, confronting the leaders about the failure to adhere to the diversity program, which is mandated by PBS. However, he says that their response was firing him. In addition, a Black producer was also reprimanded for speaking up. “I put nine years of my career into ‘ Weather Hunters ,’ a project I strongly believe in, with the goal of making a wonderfully crafted show for children to enjoy and learn from,” Schultz shared in a statement, according to...