A diversity, equity, and inclusion activist group backed by anti-Semite Rev. Al Sharpton ended its race-based grant program after settling a legal battle with the American Alliance for Equal Rights.
Venture capital firm Fearless Fund on Wednesday announced the closure of its Fearless Strivers Grant Contest, which awarded $20,000 in grants to black female-owned businesses, the Washington Post reported. In August 2023, Edward Blum, president of the AAER who led the charge against affirmative action in college admissions, sued the Fearless Fund, arguing that the program violated the 1866 Civil Rights Act.
"Race-exclusive programs like the one the Fearless Fund promoted are divisive and illegal," Blum said Wednesday. "Opening grant programs to all applicants, regardless of their race, is enshrined in our nation’s civil rights laws and supported by significant majorities of all Americans."
The Fearless Fund’s settlement is the latest blow to DEI initiatives in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling against affirmative action last June. Since winning that battle in the Supreme Court, Blum, a leading anti-discrimination advocate, has scored many victories against DEI efforts in the private sector, including programs at major firms such as Amazon, Meta, and Pfizer, the Washington Post reported.
In June, a U.S. federal appeals court temporarily prohibited Freedom Fund from awarding the grants, saying the contest was "substantially likely to violate" section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act.
Sharpton, who has supported Fearless Fund’s legal battle since the beginning, counseled the firm to settle the dispute before it went to the Supreme Court, which could result in a precedent-setting ruling against corporate affirmative action. He described Wednesday’s decision as a "sacrifice" and a "painful decision," according to the Washington Post.
"If we had fought, and Blum and them wanted to go all the way to the Supreme Court, we’d have lost the fight for generations," Sharpton said.
Sharpton, a prominent Democratic ally, provoked the 1991 Crown Heights riots—one of the worst eruptions of anti-Semitic violence in American history that inspired chants such as "Let's get the Jew!" and "Hitler didn't finish the job!" Sharpton has also said Jews have the "blood of innocent babies" on their hands.