TLDR:
Key Points:
- A federal appeals court has blocked a venture fund’s grant contest for Black women entrepreneurs in a case filed by Edward Blum.
- The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that the grant contest likely violated the federal ban on racial discrimination under Section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act.
In a case spearheaded by affirmative action opponent Edward Blum, a federal appeals court has ruled to block a venture fund’s grant contest for Black women entrepreneurs. The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned a federal district court ruling and found that the Fearless Fund’s grant contest, known as Fearless Strivers Grant Contest, was likely in violation of the federal ban on racial discrimination.
The lawsuit filed by Blum, on behalf of three White and Asian women business owners, argued that the grant program illegally excluded them. This case is part of a larger trend of lawsuits contesting corporate diversity practices.