McDonald's sued over Latino scholarship program
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McDonald's has been sued over a scholarship program for Latino students, days after the fast-food giant withdrew some of its scholarships. diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies.
The American Alliance for Equal Rights, which challenges race-based preferences and discrimination, alleges that McDonald's HACER program discriminates against some high school students.
last week, McDonald's said he will correct some DEI policies that critics consider “woke”.
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Fort Worth location serving as pilot for automated program. (CREDIT: McDonald's corporate / Fox News)
“When corporations say they're going to replace controversial and polarizing programs with more neutral ones, that doesn't always mean the company will undergo any meaningful change,” AAER President Edward Bloom said in a statement. “A corporate press release announcing changes in policies is often little more than a public relations exercise.”
“Surprisingly, after what McDonald's described as a comprehensive civil rights audit of its programs and policies, the Hispanic-only HACER scholarship was not cited as violating our nation's civil rights laws,” he said.
Changes McDonald's includes abandoning its “desire representation goals,” getting rid of the DEI pledge for its suppliers, renaming the diversity team the Global Inclusion Team, and ending external surveys.
“But when McDonald's expressed this new commitment to treat 'everyone' fairly, it didn't mean everyone. Even after a civil rights investigation, McDonald's decided to continue a program that blatantly discriminated against high school students based on their ethnicity.” the lawsuit says.
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McDonald's said it began discussing the changes months ago, acknowledging it was reviewing the legal landscape after the Supreme Court ruled in 2024 against affirmative action and similar actions by other companies.
FOX Business contacted AAER and McDonald's. Under the program, McDonald's awards $100,000 to 30 students with at least one parent of Hispanic or Latino heritage.
“We are reviewing the complaint and will respond accordingly. However, McDonald's announced last week the evolution of our inclusive work, and part of that process will be reviewing programs with our franchisees as appropriate. These programs align with our vision moving forward,” – the company said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The suit was coming on suddenly Arkansas high school girlAllegedly seeking a college scholarship l.
“McDonald's awards unusually large scholarships (up to $100,000) through a program called HACER. The catch? McDonald's only awards them to Hispanics,” the lawsuit states. “As a non-Hispanic white girl, an Arkansan cannot apply. Despite her financial need. Despite her inability to choose or control her ethnic heritage.”
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AAER is asking the judge to issue an interim order before the company announces this year's award in February.
FOX Business' Breck Dumas contributed to this report.
