• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion

by Daniel Johnson

January 12, 2025

Apple Joins Costco In Opposing Conservative Meddling In DEI Programs

Apple is urging its shareholders to vote against a proposal from the National Center for Public Policy Research to end the company's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

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On Jan. 10, Apple filed its annual proxy report for shareholders in advance of its February shareholder meeting. As Costco’s board of directors had done earlier in January, Apple called for its shareholders to vote against a National Center for Public Policy Research proposal to end the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

According to Reuters, Apple is urging its shareholders to vote against the NCPPR proposal and three other outside proposals.

The proposal from the NCPPR claims that DEI “poses litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders, and therefore further risks to companies for not abiding by their fiduciary duties.”

Apple, however, strongly responded to these claims by asserting that shareholders should vote against its proposal.

“The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program and the proposal inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple’s ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies,” Apple said.

Apple’s opposition to a call for the company to report on ethical AI data acquisition and usage is centered on the fact that the proposal concerns OpenAI rather than Apple’s proprietary Apple Intelligence system, per the company’s response.

According to Reuters, Apple routinely asks its shareholders to vote against external proposals. Thus, rejecting these calls, which appear to be mostly from conservative activists based on the requests, is a common practice.

“The proposal does not raise any specific issues with Apple Intelligence, but instead focuses its criticisms on OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, an independent service that Apple users may choose to access, and inappropriately cites controversies related to other companies that do not involve Apple,” the company stated in response to the call for an ethical AI report.

In a recent interview with WIRED, Apple CEO Tim Cook indicated that user privacy and security within the company’s AI structure are top of mind.

“We’ll always consider the privacy implications. We don’t accept that there’s a trade-off between great privacy and great intelligence. Much of Apple Intelligence runs on the device, but for some users we need more powerful models. So we crafted private cloud compute that essentially has the same privacy and security as your device does. We just kept plugging at it until we came up with the right idea,” Cook, who recently donated $1 million to Trump’s upcoming inauguration, told the outlet.

Apple also opposes a report on costs and benefits of child sex abuse material-identifying software and user privacy and a report on charitable giving for similar reasons; in its recommendations for shareholders to vote against those reports, it cited the company’s commitment to protecting data and children, respective to each report.

Regarding the child abuse report, Apple declared, “We believe that our current approach to child safety, which is informed by stakeholder engagement, is more appropriate than the universal surveillance suggested in the proposal, which could have serious implications for our users’ human and civil rights globally.”

RELATED CONTENT: Costco Refuses To Buckle To Pressure From Conservatives To Ditch DEI

• Celebrity News

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

January 12, 2025

Megan Thee Stallion Secures Restraining Order Against Tory Lanez Through 2030

The ruling comes after Megan gave an emotional testimony about the trauma she has endured since her original 2020 shooting.

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Megan Thee Stallion will no longer have to worry about her ongoing claims of harassment against incarcerated rapper Tory Lanez. The “Savage” rapper recently obtained a restraining order against Lanez that now lasts until early 2030.

According to Yahoo News, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge approved Megan’s request for the protective order on Jan. 9. This news follows recent headlines that Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, filed the motion. Her legal team claims that Lanez has continued harassing the hip-hop star despite being behind bars.

Judge Richard Bloom granted the request following a hearing that included an emotional testimony from the Houston native. She expressed her fears that Lanez would retaliate against her once released from prison, stating she worries that “maybe he’ll shoot me again.”

“I’m scared that when he gets out of jail, he’s going to still be upset with me,” Megan told Judge Bloom via video, according to the news outlet. “I feel like maybe he’ll shoot me again, and maybe this time I won’t make it.” Fighting back tears, she added, “I haven’t been at peace since I was shot. I’m just tired of being harassed.”

She added, “I understand that being a public figure comes with hearing a lot of people from all over the world talk about you,” she said. “The problem is that the man who shot me is paying people to put out lies and smear campaigns against me.”

This testimony was accompanied by additional evidence provided by Megan and her attorneys. This included call logs from Lanez’s correctional facility, proving her claims that he is contacting third parties to spark online harassment campaigns.

However, Lanez’s lawyers wrote an objection to the request. They argued that Lanez’s imprisonment prohibits him from being a “current or future threat” to the 29-year-old. Despite this, the judge ruled that Megan’s legal team had met the burden of proof to extend the temporary restraining order for five more years.

Furthermore, the judge acknowledged the media spectacle and subsequent ridicule of Megan since the shooting occurred. He referred to it as a “ripple effect” that has led to Megan’s trauma.

“With a violent act like that, there’s a ripple effect that continues on,” he shared. “Ms. Pete’s testimony makes it clear that the ripple effect here has been significant.”

Lanez is currently serving a 10-year sentence for shooting the Grammy winner in 2020. A jury found him guilty in 2022 of three felony charges, including assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He is currently appealing his conviction.

RELATED CONTENT: Megan Thee Stallion Brings Receipts As She Files Restraining Order Against Tory Lanez

• Celebrity News

by Daniel Johnson

January 12, 2025

Actor Brian J. White And Neighbors Detain Man With Blowtorch As California Wildfires Loom

'Sometimes it takes tragedies and moments like this to bring communities together,' said White.

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Brian J. White, an actor with a recurring role on Criminal Minds: Evolution, found himself in a scene that likely felt ripped from his day job when he assisted with arresting a suspected arsonist in California on Jan. 9.

According to Deadline, White’s actions were captured and subsequently broadcast to the world by his wife, Paula Da Silva, and their next-door neighbor; the footage quickly went viral.

According to White, his actions occurred not long after he and his family received an alert that they may have to evacuate. He told the outlet that he and his family “were just all very nervous that the fires were getting close” when he heard commotion outside of his house.

“We were packing up, and all of a sudden, out front of our house, I hear screaming, ‘Put it down, put it down,’” White told Deadline. “I thought somebody had a gun, and my neighbor was in duress, so my daughter went and hid in the closet, and I went running upstairs to go outside and help my neighbor.”

White and two of his neighbors eventually cornered a man with a blowtorch who had earlier attempted to set White’s trash on fire, and another resident in the neighborhood’s discarded Christmas tree on fire before being chased by a neighbor, who caught up with the man outside of White’s residence.

According to White, the man was behaving extremely erratically. Initially, the group was going to let the authorities handle it, as their wives had already called the police, but the man’s increasing aggressiveness forced their hands.

“Two of our neighbors work on cars in the garages; they had zip ties in one garage and little bit of rope in another garage. So we took him down, detained him, and waited for the police. Sixteen cruisers showed up within about seven minutes of us calling, and the rest is on the news,” White said.

Although the Los Angeles Police Department said in a press conference that there wasn’t enough evidence to charge the man with arson, they did charge him with felony probation violation instead, a conclusion that White and his neighbors dispute.

“The fires were approaching us from where that man had come from, so it was suspicious that the fires crept over close to his timing of being in our neighborhood with a blowtorch,” White noted.

White also briefly discussed how his portrayal of various roles of law enforcement officers potentially prepared him for the role he played in apprehending the suspect.

“It was more (the) hostage negotiating training. I’ve gone on a lot of police ride-alongs over the years, and one of the main things they talk about is staying calm and communicating,” White said. “So I was trying to clearly communicate to the gentleman that I don’t really care for an explanation. He’s standing on my property with an ignited blowtorch, so I’m just going to make sure that he waits until the police come.”

White continued, “We needed to find out if he had any weapons on him, if we were in danger. We tried to stay calm, and then when it got physical, we tried to make sure that it was quick, which is why we asked for other neighbors to help us with ropes and zip ties. So yeah, I am thankful for everybody that’s ever trained me in police work and fire work and fighting to be prepared for moments like that.”

White noted that his neighbors’ participation in the man’s apprehension, coupled with the fires in the area, has tightened the neighborhood’s bonds.

“Sometimes it takes tragedies and moments like this to bring communities together because it takes a village to survive anything. And one of the things that it did was tighten our community; maybe 20 different houses from the immediate area all met in our cul-de-sac,” White said.

He concluded, “We are a family, that is our extended family. We all chose to live here, and this has made me keenly aware of that choice. I want to do everything I can to embrace my fellow members of my community and to know them and to help keep our community safe.”

RELATED CONTENT: Paper Trails, Cash Advances, And More Insurance Settlement Insight For Those Who Lost A Home Or Business In The LA Wildfires

• News

by Daniel Johnson

January 12, 2025

Former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Sued For $2M Over Business Loan

Rawlings-Blake doesn't dispute that the small business failed to meet her expectations when she guaranteed the loan.

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Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a former mayor of Baltimore, is being sued by an Indiana-based bank regarding a $2 million loan. The bank’s lawsuit, filed on Jan. 8, alleges that the monthly payments of $28,000 ended in May 2023, causing the loan to default in July.

According to Fox 45 News, Old National Bank filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Maryland and seeks Rawlings-Blake to pay the outstanding loan balance, plus interest and late fees, totaling over $2 million.

According to the court documents, Rawlings-Blake guaranteed to repay the loan if the borrower, Gulf Coast Technology Corporation, defaulted.

Rawlings-Blake doesn’t dispute that the small business failed to meet her expectations when she guaranteed the loan in a statement she issued to Fox 45.

“I have worked tirelessly to support small businesses and economic growth. As part of that commitment, I personally guaranteed a loan for a small business I believed would thrive and create local opportunities. Unfortunately, like many businesses, this one has faced significant challenges, and I am now addressing my financial obligations related to this situation,” Rawlings-Blake said.

According to the Baltimore Banner, in addition to Gulf Coast Technology Corporation, Buy MBE, a company that lists Rawlings-Blake as its president and is a majority-minority company that helps local and midsized businesses connect with Fortune 500 companies, also received funds from the loan.

Per the lawsuit, “The defendant absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees repayment of the note pursuant to a U.S. Small Business Administration Unconditional Guarantee dated November 8, 2023, from the defendant in favor of the lender, as successor to Capstar Bank.”

As of Jan. 7, the amount owed due to the loan and guarantee was $2,109,114, which includes $1,953,692 in principal, $145,575 in accrued interest, and $9,846 in late fees. In addition to these amounts, the loan’s interest continues to grow at a rate of $562 per day.

Rawlings-Blake assumed the mayorship in 2010 after Sheila Dixon left office disgraced by scandal; Rawlings-Blake was praised for making a smooth and efficient transition.

By the time she left office in 2016, Rawlings-Blake was also engulfed in a scandal related to how she responded to the city’s unrest following the death of Freddie Gray while in the custody of Baltimore police and the city’s escalating murder rate.

RELATED CONTENT: Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Appointed First Black Female to Lead US Conference of Mayors

• Sports

by Mary Spiller

January 12, 2025

Former NFL Player Martellus Bennett Releases Children’s Book, ‘Black Boy’

Bennett authored "Dear Black Boys" as a letter of inspiration for Black boys who feel like their only value is in sports.

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Former NFL Super Bowl champion and New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett has just released a children’s book for Black boys. The illustrated book, Dear Black Boy, is meant to inspire and will be available for purchase on Jan. 14.

As reported by TMZ, “Dear Black Boy” was written by Bennett to encourage young Black boys to pursue their dreams, even if they’re not in sports. The book, published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, is written for kids ages 3-6. Bennett’s book is described as a “letter of encouragement” for boys of color who may feel their value lies in the sports field.

Bennett said, “Dear Black Boy” is meant to show boys of color that they are valued not just as athletes but in every aspect of their lives.

Through the book’s pages, Bennett explains that the aspects of Black boys that make them great athletes also allow them to move up in other fields in life. He discusses “mental toughness, dedication, passion, determination, and effort.”

The former NFL player said, “When I look at Black boys, I don’t see athletes. I see a world of possibilities within them. So, I ask them, ‘What are they interested in, not what they play.’”

Bennett urges Black boys to “run toward freedom — the freedom of self-expression to become anything that you want to be in life.”

TMZ stated that Bennett spends most of his time on creative endeavors now despite his extremely successful football career. “Dear Black Boy” is not his first children’s book and won’t be his last. Bennett played in 144 games in his 10-year NFL career, won a Super Bowl Championship, and dominated the game as a tight end.

Bennett confirmed, “There’s never been a day in my life since I retired that I didn’t make something.”

• Entrepreneurship

by Mary Spiller

January 12, 2025

Inspired By Work With Michelle Obama, Attorney Tamira Chapman Is Transforming Publishing For Black Women

Storehouse Voices offers new opportunities to diverse writers interested in becoming published authors.

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A new project, headed by Storehouse Voices, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random, launched in January, all to make the world of publishing more accessible for Black writers. Headed by attorney and entrepreneur Tamira Chapman, owner of the global merchandising company Storehouse, Women & Words — by Storehouse Voices — was inspired by work with former first lady Michelle Obama. Storehouse Voices has set out to combat the disparity Black and diverse writers face in the publishing world.

According to Essence, over 80% of Americans express that they desire to write a book, but only 5% to 7% of published authors are Black, and the industry has historically heavily favored white voices at its front and center. Because of this, Chapman is dedicated to setting a multimillion-dollar budget to provide tools and resources to Black authors, especially women of color, to realize their dreams.

Chapman originally became involved with Penguin Random House and Michelle Obama in 2018 when Obama was preparing to release her memoir Becoming.

She was inspired by Obama’s desire to center Black women during the release, first and foremost. The idea for the Women & Words program was born soon after.

Chapman explained in an interview with Essence, “I told the team at Penguin Random House that ‘the same way that Ms. Obama has a very rich and powerful story to tell, it’s my guess that I have thousands of more Michelle Obamas in this audience that also have meaningful stories to share with the world. If you want to be helpful to me, you’ll partner to develop a program allowing the women from my community to learn how to publish with the world’s No. 1 publisher.’”

Chapman’s Women & Words has several aspects to help marginalized women foster their authorship potential. The program includes a series of virtual workshops and well-established networking sessions to pair literary agents with authors. Every activity is catered to women of color and helps to amplify their voices through education about the industry.

Since the launch of Women & Words, over 10,000 Black women have registered, and several authors have already secured an agent through networking and information sessions. So far, five writers, all from different genres and with enriching stories to tell, have been signed to book deals by Storehouse Voices itself. Women & Words is now an official incubator program of the Storehouse Voices’ imprint.

Chapman said of the project, “This is truly a dream realized, and I want everyone to know we are open for business. We are looking for the brightest and best, and it’s not just authors. We have an interest in writers. We have an interest in agents. We have an interest in editors-at-large. Whatever your talent is in the publishing industry, we want to know about it, and we want you to be on our list so we can continue to build out the community.”

Chapman continued, “I, along with Porscha Burke, Associate Publisher, also want future authors to know that this can be viewed as a generational asset that can be taken seriously and that there are publishers out there like us that believe in them and the audience in the segment that they serve. We are proud today to be in a position that Toni Morrison hoped for decades ago, sitting inside a Penguin Random House, having this acquisition authority. We intend to publish them with excellence and show up for them in the same spirit that they showed up for us to make a meaningful difference in the publishing landscape.”

When asked about her biggest reason for heading the Storehouse Voices imprint, Chapman stated, “A few different reasons, but chief among them, one, diverse creators are generating more content deeply rooted in cultural points of view, but but many are not particularly being recognized or paid for that resonant content.”

RELATED CONTENT: How To Leverage A Bestselling Book In A Saturated Market

• Celebrity News

by Daniel Johnson

January 11, 2025

Former NFL Defensive End Robert Quinn Arrested After Hit And Run

The accident is the second hit and run for Quinn since August 2023.

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Former NFL All-Pro defensive end Robert Quinn was arrested for a hit and run in Charleston, South Carolina, during the early morning hours of Jan. 10. According to an incident report, a man who was later identified as Quinn, attempted to leave the scene of an accident in another vehicle.

According to Fox 10, the accident left Quinn with visible injuries to his head and hands, as well as fresh bleeding, which was consistent with injuries from a car crash. Officers responding to the crash identified a Ford F-150 registered to Quinn as the vehicle that started the crash.

Per their account, Quinn’s truck struck the passenger side of a Honda Element and pushed it into another pickup truck and a Chrysler 300 due to the collision with Quinn’s vehicle.

Quinn initially refused to leave the vehicle he was being picked up in but was eventually pulled from the car by officers and sent to an area hospital, where he received treatment for his injuries before being sent to the Al Cannon Detention Center for booking, where he currently remains.

This is Quinn’s second hit-and-run accident since August 2023, when he hit four cars, a gate, and a light post in a similar incident.

According to WCBD, a white Dodge Challenger was in reverse as officers arrived on the scene. When they stopped the vehicle, the female driver informed the officers that Quinn had summoned her to pick him up, who was in the car’s front seat.

According to the incident report, Quinn was uncooperative with the officers, refusing to provide information and slurring his speech. Quinn was reportedly at a nightclub in the area approximately an hour before the crash.

After the officers pulled and reviewed city traffic cameras, they discovered that a vehicle that appeared to be Quinn’s crossed an intersection and a median and then traveled onto someone’s property, where the crash occurred.

As a result of his actions, the former NFL All-Pro was charged with leaving the scene of a collision with property damage and reckless driving.

RELATED CONTENT: Georgia High School Athlete Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver After Stopping To Assist Injured Dog

• Sports

by Mary Spiller

January 11, 2025

Louisiana State University Wide Receiver Kyren Lacy Wanted For Fatal Hit-And-Run

Lacy reportedly was involved in a crash that killed a 78-year-old veteran.

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Louisiana State Police have issued an arrest warrant for Kyren Lacy, a Louisiana State University wide receiver, after he was allegedly involved in a fatal Dec. 17 crash in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.

Authorities reported in the arrest warrant that the 24-year-old LSU player is wanted for negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run, and reckless operation of a vehicle. Police explained that Lacy reportedly caused a car accident that resulted in the death of 78-year-old Herman Hall and injured two others.

Rocky Arceneaux, acting as Lacy’s agent, revealed to CNN that the LSU star is cooperating with authorities and that the true facts “will ultimately demonstrate the truth, but we respect the need for a full and thorough investigation. It is being taken very seriously, and we are committed to resolving it responsibly.”

According to a police news release, Lacy was driving a 2023 Dodge Charger “recklessly” and illegally passing other vehicles at a “high rate of speed while crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated No-Passing Zone.”

Lacy’s alleged reckless driving reportedly caused a 2017 Kia Cadenza to swerve over the centerline to avoid crashing into him, where it then collided head-on with a Kia Sorento on the other side of the roadway.

The Sorento’s passenger was former US Marine Herman Hall, who died from his injuries after being rushed to the hospital following the crash. The drivers of both the other affected cars were injured.

Authorities accused Lacy of leaving the scene of the crash and fleeing “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”

The accident occurred just two days before Lacy declared that he would enter the 2025 NFL draft after his successful LSU football career — where he started 12 games this past season and caught 58 passes for a total of 866 yards.

RELATED CONTENT: Former Super Bowl Player Arrested After Allegedly Assaulting 82-Year-Old At Gym

• Celebrity News

by Daniel Johnson

January 11, 2025

Sam Moore Of Soul Duo Sam & Dave Dies At 89

The legacy of Sam Moore and Dave Prater can be heard and felt in the work of musicians such as Al Green, Michael Jackson.

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Sam Moore, the 89-year-old sole surviving member of the 1960s soul duo Sam & Dave, died on Jan. 10 in Coral Gables, Florida, due to complications suffered while he was recovering from surgery, according to his publicist, Jeremy Westby.

According to NPR, the legacy of Sam Moore and Dave Prater can be heard and felt in the work of musicians such as Al Green, Michael Jackson. The pair was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

During the pair’s tenure at Stax Records, they were second only to the late, great Otis Redding, and, according to the “Stax: Soulsville USA” documentary, arguably their biggest song, “Soul Man” became a signifier for supporters of the Civil Rights movement, particularly the Black Power movement as depicted by Issac Hayes, another cornerstone of Stax following the untimely death of Redding.

According to NPR, the group, as many other 1960s era soul acts, faded from the charts after that decade ended, but would be revived in subsequent decades due to the 1970’s film “The Blues Brothers,” in which “Saturday Night Live” alums Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi revived and recorded the song with most of the members of Booker T & The MG’s who recorded the original song with Sam and Dave.

Moore, however, had mixed feelings about the song’s resurgence because some young people believed the song was originally the property of “The Blues Brothers” film.

Moore also took issue with the 2008 film, “Soul Men,” which starred Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac, telling the story of a pair of aging and estranged singers because he believed the pair’s resemblance to the real life “Soul Man” duo was a bit too close for his liking.

Moore did file a lawsuit over the depiction, but ultimately lost his court battle.

True to the film’s depiction of its purportedly fictional amalgamation of various soul groups, Moore sued Prater for a number of years after the latter hired a singer to take Moore’s place and began touring as the New Sam & Dave.

Prater would later tragically die in a car crash in Georgia in 1988, leaving Moore as the group’s sole surviving member.

Moore would later agitate for retirement benefits he alleged that the recording industry had cheated him out of, joining a lawsuit against several record companies and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 1993.

According to a 1994 Associated Press interview, Moore recounted his reasoning for joining the lawsuit to the outlet.

“Two thousand dollars for my lifetime?” Moore said at the time. “If you’re making a profit off of me, give me some too. Don’t give me cornbread and tell me it’s biscuits.”

Curiously, Moore went from singing a song that was deeply associated with the Black Power movement in the 1960s to tacitly supporting President Donald Trump by performing at his 2017 inauguration.

Like most artists of his generation, Moore got his start in music by singing in church, where he learned to perform.

During the 1950s, he would sing at soul and R&B clubs, but did not meet Prater until 1961, and they became a popular duo in Miami once Moore helped Prater with the lyrics of a song he was working on.

This popularity led to Atlantic Records’ Jerry Wexler sending them to the company’s Stax subsidiary in 1965 after they signed to Atlantic.

Moore is survived by his wife, Joyce, daughter Michell, and two grandchildren.

RELATED CONTENT: Donald Trump Sued By Isaac Hayes Estate For Using ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’ At Campaign Rallies

• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion

by Daniel Johnson

January 11, 2025

Meta, Amazon Roll Back DEI Programs Ahead Of Trump’s Inauguration

Meta and Amazon joined the ranks of McDonald's, Walmart, John Deere, Tractor Supply Co., and others in dropping or substantially altering its diversity, equity and inclusion programs

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Meta and Amazon have followed in the footsteps of McDonald’s, Walmart, John Deere, Tractor Supply Co., and other major companies by scaling back or significantly altering their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. According to multiple media reports, Meta’s decision, alongside other recent actions, is being viewed as an effort to align itself with the anticipated Trump administration.

According to CNN, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced in an internal memo that it would end “equity and inclusion programs and changing hiring and supplier diversity practices,” and Meta’s vice president of human resources Janelle Gale confirmed this to CNN in her own statement.

“The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” Gale wrote. “The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. It reaffirms longstanding principles that discrimination should not be tolerated or promoted on the basis of inherent characteristics.”

According to Gale, “DEI” has become “charged” due to the belief of some groups that it denotes “preferential treatment of some groups over others.”

In addition to this, per the memo, the company’s current chief diversity officer, Maxine Williams will have a new role which will focus on “accessibility and engagement,” this, according to Gale, is so the company doesn’t make hiring decisions based on “protected characteristics,” a philosophy pulled directly from the agitation of conservative activists like Robby Starbuck.

Meta, however, is not the only tech company pivoting away from prior commitments to DEI in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020.

According to CNBC, Amazon has joined Meta in ending or changing its approach to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Per a Dec. 16 note from Candi Castleberry, Amazon’s VP of inclusive experiences and technology, the company was “winding down outdated programs and materials,” as part of a larger review of the company’s initiatives.

Castleberry continued, “Rather than have individual groups build programs, we are focusing on programs with proven outcomes — and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture.”

Although Castleberry’s memo does not specify which of the company’s initiatives will be ended as a result of its year-end review, there have been changes to its “Our Positions” webpage, the page that is dedicated to Amazon’s official stances on a number of issues.

Per records of the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, that webpage previously contained separate sections regarding “Equity for Black people,” “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” and “LGBTQ+ rights.”

Currently, those separate sections have been condensed into a single paragraph indicating that Amazon believes in creating a diverse and inclusive company and affirms that the inequitable treatment of anyone is unacceptable.

According to Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel, “We update this page from time to time to ensure that it reflects updates we’ve made to various programs and positions.”

Per a report from The Washington Post, which Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns, employees responded to the Amazon internal memo with their own concerns, per screenshots obtained by the outlet.

“I’m a bit worried … if that will impact insurance coverage in the future,” one employee wrote in the comments section of the internal memo.

Another employee described the change as “a bit of a backward step” from Amazon’s previous position. Amazon, however, told The Washington Post that the company’s insurance benefit is still available for its employees.

RELATED CONTENT: Mark Zuckerberg Promotes Free Speech By Ending Fact-Checking On Meta Platforms Facebook And Instagram