Groups opposed to affirmative action say McDonald's recently rolled back some diversity efforts to maintain a program that gives scholarships to Latino and Hispanic students, but it doesn't go far enough. and filed a lawsuit.
The American Equal Rights Alliance was founded by Edward Blum, an opponent of affirmative action. lawsuit A lawsuit filed Sunday in federal court in Nashville alleges that the decades-old scholarship program illegally discriminates against students from other ethnic groups.
McDonald's says its HACER National Scholarship Program has awarded more than $33 million in college scholarships to Hispanic and Latino students since its inception in 1985. Through this program, up to 30 students per year will receive up to $100,000.
By restricting eligibility to students with at least one parent of Hispanic or Latino descent, Blum's group plans to limit eligibility to students with at least one parent of Hispanic or Latino descent, making the program available to other students, including one of the group's members, a white high school student from Arkansas. They claim that they are discriminating against students.
The lawsuit alleges that the program violates Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a Civil War-era law that prohibits racial bias in contracting. They are asking a judge to issue an injunction preventing them from considering ethnicity.
“We hope McDonald's can immediately discontinue this scholarship program and make it available to all under-resourced high school students, regardless of ethnic background,” Blum said in a statement.
McDonald's said in a statement that it is reviewing the complaint. The company added that it was reviewing the program to ensure it was “aligned with our vision for the future” as part of last week's announcement about changes to its diversity efforts.
The Chicago-based company announced on January 6 that it was rescinding its diversity goals in corporate leadership and shifting away from some diversity practices, citing a “changing legal landscape” in the United States.
Other companies, including Walmart, have similarly backed away from diversity practices under pressure from conservative activists.
McDonald cited a ruling last year by the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court that prohibited race from being considered as a factor in college admissions. The decision followed a successful lawsuit by another group founded by Mr. Bloom.
Since the decision, Bloom's American Equal Rights Alliance and others have launched a series of objections to corporate diversity efforts, including scholarship and fellowship programs aimed at benefiting underrepresented minority groups. has pursued a lawsuit.
Last month, a federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Mr. Blum's group against Southwest Airlines, arguing that a now-defunct program that gave free airline tickets to Hispanic college students was racially discriminatory.
