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FILE PHOTO: Anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum speaks to reporters at the “Rally for the American Dream-Equal Education Rights for All,” ahead of the start of the trial in a lawsuit accusing Harvard University of discriminating against Asian-American applicants, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., October 14, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
The war against affirmative action has reached new lows thanks to Edward Blum.
The conservative activist that played a key role in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject affirmative action within college admissions has sued the Black-women-owned venture capital firm, Fearless Fund, Reuters reports.
Blum, the founder of the nonprofit American Alliance for Equal Rights, filed the lawsuit on Aug. 3, accusing the Atlanta-based firm of practicing unlawful racial discrimination by making only Black women eligible for a grant competition. He also claims the firm is violating Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866—a law that bans racial bias in private contracts. Lawsuits by Blum’s firm led to the historic ruling declaring race-conscious student admissions policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina as unlawful.
Founded by actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, entrepreneur Arian Simone, and corporate executive Ayana Parsons, Fearless Fund has been pivotal in “bridging the gap in venture capital funding for women of color founders building scalable, growth aggressive companies,” per the firm’s mission statement.
He admits that this lawsuit is the first of many he hopes to pursue through his nonprofit against private corporations. “The common theme of these organizations is to challenge in the courts the use of racial classifications and preferences in our nation’s policies,” Blum said.
Source: Black Enterprise
