Fearless Fund Blocked From Giving Grants to Black Women
On Monday, an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals panel blocked Fearless Fund, a grant program for Black women run by a small Atlanta business venture.
The panel consisted of two judges appointed by former President Trump and a third appointed by former President Barack Obama, who founded the Fearless Fund. The ruling was 2-1, and the judges claimed, “The Fearless Fund’s contest likely violates the federal Civil Rights Act of 1866, which prohibits the use of race in making contracts.”
Folks were out here posturing in 2016, and those SCOTUS consequences are going to haunt us in places you hadn't even thought about. https://t.co/GuXcAKwxVg pic.twitter.com/nO2fLM1OCM
— Hope(@HopeisaBison) June 3, 2024
The appeals court panel reversed the September ruling made by another judge, thus creating a preliminary injunction.
ELECTIONS MATTER. VOTING MATTERS. https://t.co/icCXebUgD3 pic.twitter.com/NT9cECtXno
— PragmaticObotsUnite (@PragObots) June 3, 2024
In August 2023, Fearless Fund was sued by the American Alliance for Equal Rights (a conservative non-profit) because of their Fearless Strivers grant contest. This contest awarded $200,000 in grants to Black women who own small businesses. The Alliance was founded by Edward Blum, an activist who has challenged affirmative action in colleges and universities.
The Alliance alleges that Fearless Fund “violates Section 1981 of the Reconstruction-era Civil Rights Act of 1866, which prohibits discrimination based on race when making and enforcing contracts.” They claim that the grant program is “racially discriminatory” because they only give grants to Black women.
Blum shared, “Programs that exclude certain individuals because of their race, such as the ones the Fearless Fund has designed and implemented, are unjust and polarizing. Most Americans believe that an individual’s race should not be a factor in our nation’s public policies.”
The appeals court ruling against the Fearless Fund grant for Black women is a significant setback for upward mobility opportunities. This decision threatens to widen the economic gap, limiting access to critical resources needed for entrepreneurial success.https://t.co/kNiyt1pekF
— Kia Richards (@KiaRichards_) June 4, 2024
Fearless argues that its program is protected under the First Amendment because it makes charitable donations to Black women without offering them contracts.
Arian Simone, CEO of the Fearless Fund, expressed, “The message these judges sent today is that diversity in Corporate America, education, or anywhere else should not exist.”
The ~REASON~ Fearless Fund for Black Women was ~NECESSARY~, is due to the disproportionate level of discrimination in venture capital.
— Community Protection Bureau (@CPBWorks) June 4, 2024
white men manage over 93% of all venture capital investments, and 58% of venture capital partners are white.
Before FF, Black women managed 0%. https://t.co/92S6YSBlpc pic.twitter.com/jAF4HEdBP7
Simone is not giving up on Fearless Fund. The CEO claimed, “The Fearless Fund has worked tirelessly with what resources we have to support underrepresented communities. Our grants are essential for some companies. Women of color continue to lead the entrepreneurial pack and need support. I will not give up on this fight.”
To find out more about this case, please read here.
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