Latest news with #diversityequityinclusion
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Will White Men Rush to Court After Justices' Latest Ruling? Not Likely.
A Supreme Court ruling on Thursday handed a victory to white Americans and straight people who believe they have been discriminated against in the workplace. But just how widespread are those complaints? President Trump and his allies have argued that discrimination against white Americans and straight people is a workplace scourge that often occurs under the cover of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. His administration has gone to great lengths to undo what it calls 'illegal D.E.I.,' including ousting diversity officials from federal agencies and removing D.E.I. language from government websites. Experts in employment law argue that the reality is more complicated, and say that the Supreme Court ruling is unlikely to drastically change the makeup of those filing and winning workplace discrimination cases. 'It will likely continue to be that a majority of discrimination cases are filed by minority-group members,' said Camille Olson, a partner at the management-side law firm Seyfarth Shaw. 'But I think there will be an increasing number of cases that are filed by individuals who are either male or heterosexual or not a member of a minority race or religion.' Federal government data suggest that members of so-called majority groups have historically brought only a small fraction of discrimination cases. Of the roughly 21,000 charges of race-based employment discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2021, only slightly more than 10 percent — about 2,350 — involved charges of discrimination against white people. Ms. Olson said that such figures almost certainly understated the number of cases of discrimination against white people in the workplace, partly because the law in many parts of the country created an obstacle to litigating these cases. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
E&E News
5 days ago
- Politics
- E&E News
‘Sitting duck'? Meet an EPA environmental justice staffer.
Swati Rayasam knew her job at EPA would be upended. She just didn't expect it to happen so soon. 'You are receiving this email because you have been identified as an EPA employee working in 'environmental justice' or a diversity, equity, and inclusion position and/or office,' the Feb. 6 message read. Rayasam, an environmental protection specialist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, was immediately placed on paid administrative leave. Now threatened with a potentially permanent layoff, she's one of hundreds of EPA employees facing dismissal or reassignment in a purge without precedent. Advertisement For Rayasam, it likely spells the end of a career begun only a year and a half ago. But the episode also highlights a seeming paradox at the heart of the Trump administration's agenda as EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin highlights the importance of clean air, land and water for 'every American.'
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Fired federal tech staffers file retaliation claim to a panel whose chairwoman Trump also fired
WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of roughly 80 fired federal employees on Wednesday appealed their terminations to an administrative body in charge of protecting the rights of federal employees from partisan political practices. Notably, that board's chairwoman was also recently fired by President Donald Trump. The 18F employees, who worked on technology projects such as the IRS' Direct File, filed an appeal at the Merit Systems Protection Board against the General Services Administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. They claim they were identified in February for a reduction-in-force because of their 'perceived political affiliations or beliefs,' as well as 'protected speech and actions supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and actions to resist and blow the whistle on management's improper handling and transition of control concerning sensitive data and systems.' In February, billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk posted on his social media site that he had 'deleted' 18F. Musk was responding to a post by an X user who called 18F 'far left' and mused that Direct File 'puts the government in charge' of preparing people's taxes. 'That group has been deleted,' Musk wrote. The appeal documents state that the employees were removed from federal service 'through a purported RIF because they were perceived to be left-wing, radical, or affiliated with DEI activities,' which 'abuses the laws and regulations governing RIFs to punish perceived political opponents and to coerce conformity with their values and political positions, and violates federal civil rights statutes.' One of the MSPB's primary functions is to protect federal workers against partisan politics and other prohibited personnel practices by adjudicating employee appeals, according to the board's website. The workers' complaint comes after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to fire the head of the board, Cathy Harris, while a lawsuit plays out. According to the MSPB website, as of April 9, Acting Chairman Henry Kerner is the sole serving board member, and the board is currently without a quorum to vote on petitions for review. A White House official did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 years after killing of George Floyd, protest in Chicago decries Trump directive to empower police
On the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, an event that prompted a national reckoning over race and police brutality, a gathering in Chicago joined coordinated protests across the country on Sunday against President Donald Trump's rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion — particularly his signing of an executive order aimed at strengthening state and local law enforcement. 'Dexter Reed. Rekia Boyd. Laquan McDonald. Adam Toledo. Reginald Clay Jr.' — as the rally began, the crowd recited the names of people fatally shot by police in Chicago. Activist and Chicago Teachers Union member Kobi Guillory, leading the chants, said Trump was 'the main stumbling block to getting justice.' On the sunny afternoon, the rally amassed a group of more than 100 people in Federal Plaza at 230 S. Dearborn St., attracting curious tourists and passersby. Speakers represented various Chicago organizations, including the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Chicago Torture Justice Center, GoodKids MadCity, Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation and the Arab American Action Network. On the other side of the street, over a dozen police officers observed the gathering, which eventually marched up State Street to gather across the Chicago River from Trump Tower. Organizers said the executive order will allow policing to go unchecked by funneling federal and military resources to police departments, forgoing equity policies and eliminating federal consent decrees, or court-ordered settlements that mandate changes to address misconduct. The Illinois attorney general has said that Chicago's consent decree — in place since 2019 — will remain in effect. 'We have to keep fighting. In fact, Chicago is the focal point of the fight for police accountability,' said Faayani Aboma Mijana with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, or CAARPR, at a news conference before the rally. 'In our view, it's people power that's going to push it forward.' Chicago has the most progressive police accountability ordinance in the country, according to Aboma Mijana. Passed in July 2021 after years of back-and-forth with community activists and shaped by Floyd's murder in 2020, it included mechanisms of civilian oversight such as three council members who, under the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, would serve in each of the city's 22 police districts. 'I came here to say something loud and clear: We will not go back,' said Marquinn McDonald during the rally; he is the newest member of the 2nd Chicago Police District Council and a longtime community safety advocate. 'Not now, not ever, not after the bloodshed that has been spilled, not after the tears that have soaked our soil, not after we've watched Black lives stolen in real time with the world watching, and still had to beg for justice.' Hands Across Chicagoland protest draws thousands Sunday along Ogden Avenue Thousands rally, march through Loop for national 'Hands Off!' protest City touts mission to target employee ties to hate groups; community demands police be the priority While activists say there are many sticking points to address in policing, they expressed hope from recent wins. The commission has worked alongside the Chicago Police Department to unveil the department's policy regulating traffic stops, the first draft of which was unveiled late April. 'Let me say this to the president of the United States and to anyone who dares turn their back on justice: We see you, we hear you and we will meet you. Not with hate, but with truth; not with fear, but with fire — the fire of a people who have had enough,' McDonald said. 'We demand accountability, we demand protection, and we demand respect for every life across this nation.' Reynia Jackson, a youth organizer with Englewood nonprofit GoodKids MadCity, prepared a different kind of speech than she often gives at rallies and protests. In an emotional poem, she recalled growing up with news of people of color being killed in the city — beginning when she was 6 years old, when Boyd was shot in 2012. 'I don't have any more tears. I'm not numb to the pain. I just don't want another brother being shot over nine times like Dexter Reed,' she said. 'I don't want reform or body cameras to be worn. I want armed strangers with immunity, patrolling my community, to be gone.' Toward the end of the initial rally, as protesters prepared to march across Chicago's downtown, emcee and CAARPR co-chair Jasmine Smith expressed hopes that attendees were heartened by the words of encouragement and calls to action from speakers. 'This fight, this war, does not end today,' Smith said. 'Every time we show up, we show them that we can, we show them that we matter.'
