Is corporate America committed to evidence-based practices that increase diversity, equity and inclusion, or are they going to play both sides of this issue in the wake of pressure from anti-diversity groups on the right?
Consider the case of Goldman Sachs. Under the leadership of CEO David Solomon, Goldman Sachs has made diversity and inclusion top priorities and taken a more proactive approach to hiring and promotion in order to achieve a more diverse workforce. But at the same time, through one of its donor-advised funds, the company has given money to groups like Stephen Miller’s America First Legal and Edward Blum’s Students for Fair Admissions who are trying to make it impossible for institutions to advance diversity in any way. Their goals are diametrically opposed to Goldman’s stated values and business objectives, and the groups are trying to make it impossible for institutions like Goldman to achieve its goals.
Based on these actions, we recently asked the SEC to investigate Goldman Sachs for possible violations of the securities laws. Axios laid out the challenges for Goldman Sachs around our inquiry, and former State Department official and human rights lawyer Michael Posner echoed our call in Forbes, wondering why Goldman was giving to these groups.
Today, we wrote to Goldman Sachs’ Board asking the Directors, apart from whatever their obligations may be under federal securities law, to remove the anti-diversity, anti-opportunity groups led by Edward Blum and Stephen Miller from the list of eligible grantees for their donor-advised funds, Goldman Sachs Gives and Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund.
Join us in asking Goldman Sachs—a company that has been a leader on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion—to stand up for these important values.
