In a federal civil rights complaint filed this week, a legal group co-founded by White House deputy chief of staff and Trump administration immigration policy architect Stephen Miller accused the Dodgers of engaging in illegal discrimination under the pretext of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Athletic first reported on the case on Wednesday. America First Legal filed it with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Monday. The complaint targeted the Dodgers’ professional groups for employees, including the Black Action Network and Women’s Opportunity Network, as well as their ownership company, Guggenheim Partners, and the Dodgers declined to respond.
The Dodgers’ conduct, according to America First’s news release, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
Less than two weeks have passed since the organization announced that it would not permit federal immigration officials to utilize the parking lots at Dodger Stadium as a staging ground for immigration raids in Southern California. The Dodgers pledged $1 million a day later to help families impacted by the immigration sweeps.
After supporting President Trump, the Dodgers betrayed the city and its supporters by allowing immigration agents to enter Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
According to American First, by supporting initiatives targeted at women and people of color and by integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies into every facet of the organization, the defending World Series champions, who visited the White House with President Trump earlier this season, have broken the law.
The group also cites Mark Walter’s profile, which describes Walter as a social justice advocate and names him as the Dodgers’ majority owner and chief justice of Guggenheim Partners.
The Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners are the most recent companies that American Legal has targeted for their diversity initiatives. Among other companies, the group has brought legal action against Johnson & Johnson, a global pharmaceutical corporation, and IBM, the largest industrial research organization in the world.
The Dodgers’ website page outlining the team’s goal to foster an environment where a range of perspectives and experiences are respected was a major focus of America First’s complaint. The website details initiatives to encourage heritage events for employees and supporters, collaborate with neighborhood organizations to advance racial and social justice, and hire women and people of color.
According to America First’s complaint, the Dodgers are implementing DEI in the workplace in measurable ways with clear objectives to attain success, which seems to involve participating in illegal discriminatory hiring, training, and recruitment practices.
In a statement to The Times, PICO California, one of the organizations that has urged the Dodgers to do more for immigrants, said that the complaint was retaliatory.
Legalizing America First A terrifying demonstration of power used against inclusivity is Stephen Miller’s group’s attack on the Dodgers for encouraging diversity. with opposing ICE’s entry into their stadium and standing with immigrant families, the Dodgers did the right thing. According to Calvin Abbasi, director of narrative and communications for the faith-based community organizing network, they are currently the target of vengeance from an administration that seeks to penalize organizations who defend our common humanity.
We at PICO California support people who choose bravery over fear. This inquiry is about whose beliefs are marginalized and what kind of moral vision is penalized, not legal nuances. It is about control, not compliance, when groups that improve communities are singled out.
