Stacey Abrams warns that Edward Blum’s anti-affirmative action lawsuits are designed to chill diversity efforts—’and it’s working’

Fortune

Silence speaks volumes. The recent spate of lawsuits against organizations that support diversity and inclusion, from law firms to the Fearless Fund, has led some companies to hide their heads in the sand, hoping to avoid becoming a target.

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00:00 of the end in mind.

00:01 There's no way to avoid being sued because it's working.

00:06 The attacks on DEI are directly a response

00:09 to the effectiveness of actually matching our commercial side

00:14 and matching our economy to our populace.

00:18 That's a native good, but there are those

00:20 who are very resistant to it,

00:22 who would like to both ignore the past

00:23 and I would say want to manufacture a false future

00:27 where we disallow participation from communities

00:30 that for so long were not included.

00:32 But we also know it is lucrative.

00:35 Companies that participate in DEI make more money.

00:37 When you add people to the roster,

00:39 I mean, let's go back to rewiring.

00:41 One of the things we know about the energy economy,

00:43 we need 1.4 million additional people just to take

00:46 on the jobs for the residential side of electrification.

00:50 But if they can't be introduced

00:52 into those apprenticeship programs

00:54 because they're targeting populations

00:56 that are typically not participating,

00:58 then we're never going to get the workforce we need.

01:01 I would say that first of all,

01:02 thank you for those of you who are willing to engage.

01:05 Thank you for your bravery,

01:06 but also remember your bottom line.

01:08 You make more money when more people can afford

01:10 to use your products.

01:11 And when we improve access in this country,

01:14 we improve the bottom line for everyone.

01:17 Lawsuits are designed not for victory,

01:19 but for a chilling effect.

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