The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit this week blocked a venture capitalist firm from conducting a program that helps Black women entrepreneurs after a lawsuit against it from a conservative group, Axios reports.
Attorneys from the American Alliance for Equal Rights sued the Fearless Fund, claimed they faced racial discrimination and "additional harm" because they were denied from the grant program for not being Black.
In an opinion released on Monday, two of the three judges on the panel joined in ruling that the Fearless Strivers Grant Contest organized by the Fearless Fund is "substantially likely to violate" the equal rights provision of Title 42 of the U.S. Code.
"Our nation's civil rights laws do not permit racial distinctions because some groups are overrepresented in various endeavors, while others are under-represented," said Edward Blum, who CNN describes as an anti-affirmative action legal strategist who filed the lawsuit on AAER's behalf.
Arian Simone, chief executive and founding partner of Fearless Fund and founder of the Fearless Foundation, told CNN that the decision was "devastating," adding that she is "shattered for every girl of color who has a dream but will grow up in a nation determined not to give her a shot to live it."
She added, "America is supposed to be a nation where one has the freedom to achieve, the freedom to earn, and the freedom to prosper. Yet, when we have attempted to level the playing field for underrepresented groups, our freedoms were stifled."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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