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Byron Allen’s $10 billion lawsuit against a major fast-food chain is heading to trial. Allen Media Group (AMG) filed the lawsuit against McDonald’s in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles in May 2021, per Deadline. The lawsuit alleges that McDonald’s has engaged in racial discrimination by failing to allocate advertising dollars to Black-owned media companies, despite the fact that 40% of its U.S. sales come from the Black community. It claims McDonald’s refused to contract with AMG’s Entertainment Studios and Weather Group and sets Black-owned media at a disadvantage during the bidding process for advertising. Allen and other leaders of Black-owned media companies requested in a letter that McDonald’s commit 5% to 15% of its advertising budget to Black-owned media outlets. McDonald’s said at the time, “Together with our Owner/Operators, we have doubled down on our relationships with diverse-owned partners. This includes increasing our spend with diverse-owned media from...
The Department of Justice has launched a lawsuit over alleged discriminatory practices related to the appraisal of a Black homeowner’s property and the cancellation of her mortgage refinance application. Filed Monday, Oct. 21, in U.S. District Court in Colorado, the lawsuit accuses Rocket Mortgage , Solidifi U.S. Inc., Maverick Appraisal Group Inc., and Maksym Mykhailyna of actions that violate the federal Fair Housing Act. “This lawsuit is part of our ongoing efforts to bring an end to appraisal bias which prevent Black communities and other consumers of color from accessing credit and benefitting from homeownership,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement . “Appraisal bias exacerbates the racial wealth gap, and runs contrary to the principles of fairness, transparency and equity that we need in our housing market today,” she added. “The Justice Department will continue to hold appraisers, lenders and others...
Pioneer Opal Lee has received the keys to her new home. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, in 1939, 12-year-old Lee along with her family were removed from their home in Fort Worth, TX, by a racist white mob. “Just to know that there might be children that we could have played with, that we might have known their families,” Lee told CBS News Texas. “We just wanted to be good neighbors, that’s all.” The outlet also notes Lee never lost hope that she would one day own that very land. Her wishes would come true in January 2024 when she received a homecoming and a cquired ownership of the land that was stripped from her family. Building on this milestone, a home was recently constructed for Lee on the property, and she has received the keys to her new home. She was given the property for $10 thanks to North Texas organizations such as Trinity Habitat for Humanity and Texas Capital. Additionally, HistoryMaker Homes is credited for building the home free of charge, and JCPenney aided to...
A long-time factor for a medical test for kidney transplant evaluations has been rectified, which has lessened a massive barrier for Black patients in need of a new kidney. Previously, the eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) test that is used for kidney transplant waitlist evaluations included race and outdated studies that inaccurately showed that Black patients’ kidney function was different than other racial groups and underestimated the extent of their illness, according to ABC News. Today, race is no longer taken into consideration. This came after reassessment from the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology in 2020, which determined race had no connection to kidney function. As a resulted, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network enacted the update in 2023. “That really was problematic, but it was very widely accepted,” said Martha Pavlakis, former chair of the kidney committee with the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network,...
One of the major flaws of artificial intelligence (AI) is that it can reinforce racial bias. As CNN reported, the technology is based on data fed by humans, which can mean the data can be racist and biased. “Remember: AI is just software that learns by example,” Reid Blackman, author of the book, “Ethical Machines,” told CNN. “So if you give it examples that contain or reflect certain kinds of biases or discriminatory attitudes … you’re going to get outputs that resemble that.” The impact of its racial bias continues to disproportionately affect the Black community , including when it comes to resume screening. “And many employers now use AI-driven tools to interview and screen job seekers, many of which pose enormous risks for discrimination against people with disabilities and other protected groups,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote in a 2021 report on how AI can worsen racial and economic inequities. Now, a recent research paper has shown another area where AI...
In June 2020, financial institutions nationwide committed a record-breaking $4.2 billion to racial equity. Nonprofits directly received $300 million, representing 51% of total donation volume that month. However just six months later, funding for racial equity fell to 5% of the donation share. Now three years later, while energy has further slowed, racial justice remains a top concern across demographics. We know nonprofits steered by Black leaders and people of color are best positioned to drive racial equity. However, it’s simply not enough for corporate funders looking to affirm their values to financially empower BIPOC leaders. To properly equip nonprofit leaders, financial institutions and other corporate funders must embrace a two-pronged approach of capital and capacity building. One of the most effective interventions in capacity-building for BIPOC-led nonprofits lies in technology. Seventy-four percent of nonprofits say digital transformation is a need-to or must-have, yet...
One would assume working diligently at a job would lead to good favor. This wasn’t the case for Jennifer Harris.
Racial discrimination in hiring is a barrier that many Black applicants face, especially those who don’t have “white-sounding” names. A TikToker by the name of Dee Realz is one of a few from the growing group who has stepped forward to share her experience. @dee.realz has any melanated individuals experienced this? #jobs #jobinterview #fyp ♬ original sound – Dee Realz
A former elevator worker at Tesla has 14 days to determine if he will collect $15 million for the damages caused by racial abuse while working at the company’s Fremont, California factory. According to TechCrunch, Owen Diaz was originally set to receive $137 million after the company turned a blind eye to the racial harassment and discrimination that he endured at the electric vehicle (EV) plant. After Tesla challenged the verdict brought forth on behalf of the former employee, whose race is Black, the payout was diminished to $15 million. Now, the original $6.9 million that Diaz was set to receive for compensatory damages has been reduced to $1.5 million. Punitive damages went from $130 million to $13.5 million.
Wells Fargo will be furthering their efforts toward racial equity in homeownership. According to a press release, the bank giant has pledged $210 million to support minority families as they navigate homeownership. “Wells Fargo has long been a leader in lending to minority families. These efforts are an important next step and will help close the homeownership gap between white and minority families created by decades of systemic inequities,” said Kristy Fercho, CEO of Wells Fargo Home Lending, according to a press release. “We are taking meaningful action by reimagining the homeownership journey to support minority families in realizing the dream of homeownership.” Wells Fargo will allocate $150 million to reduce refinancing costs and to ensure minority homeowners have access to more affordable mortgage rates. Wells Fargo’s action will be supported by a Special Purpose Credit Program (SPCP). Minority homeowners who are serviced currently by Wells Fargo will receive support to...
A Texas telecom company just lost a $70 million federal discrimination lawsuit. Atlanta Black Star reports that Glow Networks Inc. and its parent company, CSS Corp, exposed nine Black employees — and one white employee who advocated on behalf of his Black co-workers — to what can only be summarized as a hostile work environment tinged with more than a bit of racism. And based on the facts of the case, that’s the height of understatement. “Court documents reveal there were originally fourteen members in the group suing Glow Networks, Inc., alleging that they had ‘both tangible actions, such as terminations and denials of promotions, and on the alleged creation of a hostile work environment,'” reports the outlet. Initially, fourteen employees brought the federal discrimination suit against the telecom company. However, only ten employees ultimately were awarded damages — the other four’s claims were dismissed by the court. For Yarbrough, though, it was the principle of the matter. “We...
Tesla is reportedly a hotbed of racial abuse — and the state of California has finally had enough. According to The Los Angeles Times, the state of California has filed a lawsuit against the Elon Musk-led company. The lawsuit comes after more than 32 months of an investigation into the practices by the company, as well as countless worker complaints spanning more than 10 years against the organization. The allegations against Tesla are what The Los Angeles Times is calling quite “horrific” — so much so, in fact, that many of the words that were allegedly used by the company cannot be reprinted here. But what can be stated here is that Tesla allegedly made their Black workers “scrub floors on their hands and knees, and they were relegated to the Fremont, Calif., factory’s most difficult physical jobs,” per the Los Angeles Times. What’s more, the suit alleges that Black workers were routinely denied promotions, were subjected to willful and malicious harassment, got paid far less than...
Tesla is once again under fire for alleged racial harassment. This time, a Black gay ex-employee claims she was assaulted and verbally abused — complete with racial slurs — by a co-worker. Business Insider is reporting that Kaylen Barker — who filed her lawsuit against the company yesterday — is going after both the Elon Musk-helmed automaker and its staffing company, Staffmark. According to her suit, Tesla failed to address the racist abuse she endured every day from her fellow employees, especially after she got a promotion. She also alleges that at one point, a co-worker — whom she only identified as “Joanne” in the suit — would mutter the N-word under her breath every time Barker walked by. And when Barker brought the alleged abuse to the attention of the Human Resources department, nothing was done about it. “I was violated physically, mentally, and emotionally because I am an African American lesbian,” Barker said in a statement provided, through her attorney, to the outlet....
It could all be so simple, but racism makes it hard. When it comes to renting homes through Airbnb, minorities, specifically Black people, seem to always be up against refusal of service on the platform. The company has decided to finally somewhat take a stance with an experiment that they hope will resolve the issue. According to NPR, studies have shown that there are some Airbnb hosts who discriminate against customers based on both profile images and “African American sounding names.” In an effort to fix the issue, the company is starting with a test in the way that Oregon-based guests book their stays.
In efforts to “diversify” the workroom, some companies are hiding behind the gaze of inclusion in hopes of finding a token to enhance their agendas. Joseph B. Hill, a Black Chief Diversity Officer with over 20 years of experience, accepted a new position to serve at Memorial Hermann Health System in the city of Houston as the Vice President, Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer. To prepare for a relocation and help Hill find the right home, a real estate agent contracted by Memorial Hermann was hired. Hill noted red flags from the agent as he recalled “unconscious racial bias” being exhibited from the white realtor such as bringing light to a Black-owned clothing store and commenting, “One of those stores over there is owned by a rapper; I don’t know those guys.” Hill also recalled the agent presenting a public golf course as “someplace where you would play,” to wittingly imply he was not welcomed at a private club. Hill, uncomfortable due to the microaggressions, presented...