Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
America First Legal (AFL) a year ago filed a civil rights lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company for hiring, training, and promoting individuals based on race and sex.
AFL focused on Disney’s “Reimagine Tomorrow,” site, which used to be full of “inclusion” language that made Disney’s intentions clear: illegal discrimination. Disney also had a grant program for “Underrepresented Directors.”
AFL announced last week that Disney has ditched the old “diversity, equity, and inclusion” site and created a new one, removing language about “underrepresented voices” and a clear emphasis on anyone who isn’t white. From AFL:
Links to reimaginetomorrow.disney.com are now redirected to inclusion.twdc.com. The new “Inclusion” website no longer features the most egregious DEI policies that AFL highlighted in its 2024 complaints. For example, the new website no longer features a prominent statement on its homepage stating Disney’s commitment to “amplifying underrepresented voice” and “accurate representation.”
To be forced to do what’s fair? Disney gets no brownie points for that. But Disney made the right decision. This shift not only aligns with legal and ethical standards, but brings back merit. Individuals should be judged on their talents and skills and not immutable characteristics like race and sex.
Skin-color diversity or redressing historical wrongs are not valid reasons to violate anyone’s civil rights. Using race or sex to increase members of “underrepresented” segments of the population is inherently discriminatory and runs counter to the principle of equal opportunity.
Businesses that continue to hire, train, and promote based on race or sex open themselves up to legal challenges that can be costly and damaging to their reputation. Do they care? Several seemed to care after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-based admissions in universities. A few more cared after President Donald Trump returned to office. Now, they all better care.
Corporations also claim that “diversity” is good for business. Is it really? What about the morale of talented individuals who get passed over for a promotion because they have the “wrong” skin color?
“Disney has finally backed down after years of treating people differently based on characteristics like race and sex,” said AFL’s Will Scolinos. “AFL stood up to Disney by taking four actions over three years to shine a light on Disney’s public discriminatory policies. Disney’s removal of its DEI website and policies is part of a growing trend of the public viewing DEI for what it is: discrimination, inequity, and exclusion.”
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