January 25th 2024.
In 2023, PricewaterhouseCoopers found themselves at the center of a legal challenge brought by Stephen Miller's America First Legal. This prompted the company to take a closer look at their internship and scholarship programs to avoid further scrutiny from Miller and his group of conservative lawyers. It seems that companies that promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have become targets for Miller and other conservative groups, especially after the Supreme Court's decision to roll back affirmative action in higher education.
According to an article in the Financial Times, Miller urged the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate PwC's practices. Reed Rubinstein, a senior counselor at America First Legal, shared his thoughts on the matter, stating that the company's practices reduce individuals to their immutable characteristics, which goes against legal mandates. While Miller's group claims to be fighting against "reverse racism," PwC's diversity numbers from 2023 tell a different story. With 55% of their employees being white, 22% Asian, 9% Latinx, and only 7% Black, it seems that the company still has a long way to go in terms of diversity.
In response to the scrutiny, PwC made some changes to the language used in their 2023 report. Yolanda Seals-Coffield, the company's chief people officer, stated that their commitment to diversity and creating an inclusive environment remains unchanged. However, they have faced some challenges in achieving their goals, which may not have been present a year ago.
One of the changes made by PwC was to remove explicit diversity requirements from their internship program criteria. This was revealed after the company published a purpose and inclusion report, which resulted in a broader eligibility scope for their student internship program. Previously, their "Start" internship was specifically aimed at high-performing college sophomores and juniors who identified as members of underrepresented minority groups in the professional services sector. This included protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Now, the revised language encourages applications from underrepresented minorities without explicitly stating that the program is exclusively for those groups.
Unfortunately, PwC is not the only company facing backlash for their DEI programs. According to Vox, the corporate backlash to diversity is similar to the backlash seen in Hollywood when it comes to casting people of color in traditionally white roles or adding diversity to popular franchises. Both situations are met with the argument that diversity is being forced upon people and is not developing naturally. Journalist and period drama expert Amanda Rae-Prescott shared her thoughts on the matter, stating that racists will always find something to be outraged about when it comes to diversity in media.
DEI advocates argue that this same opposition exists in the business world, with an organized effort to silence diverse voices. It seems that companies are now afraid of facing lawsuits from conservative groups like America First Legal. This has resulted in a heated debate over the importance of diversity in the workplace. The question remains: will companies continue to strive for diversity and inclusion, or will they succumb to the fear of facing legal action?
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