Andrew Kerr writes for the Washington Free Beacon about an interesting development among left-wing political circles.
Two former employees of a major liberal dark money group say they were subjected to racism and discrimination in the workplace, according to wrongful termination lawsuits obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Both suits allege that the New Venture Fund, a dominant player in Democratic politics that operates a network of liberal organizations, paid black women less than white counterparts, and that black employees risked being fired for pushing back against discrimination. One employee, hired as a racial equity consultant, said she was “subjected to racial harassment” and frequently shouted down by white colleagues during discussions about race.
The liberal dark money behemoth claims to “fearlessly” integrate the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its work. The allegations, from employees at separate New Venture Fund affiliates, implicate senior executives and suggest the group’s stated commitment to racial “equity” does not extend to its black employees.
The group raised $964 million in 2021 alone from mostly anonymous donors. It used those funds to bankroll hundreds of left-wing entities and operate hundreds more “pop-up” groups. The New Venture Fund is the largest branch of the Arabella Advisors network, the country’s predominant dark money network that raked in a staggering $1.6 billion to finance left-wing causes in 2021.
Both lawsuits accuse New Venture Fund of systematically paying black women less than their white counterparts, and claim minorities risked termination if they dared to blow the whistle on the group’s internal racism. The most recent claim comes from Francesca Weaks, who filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against New Venture Fund on Jan. 31. Weaks worked as a racial equity consultant for a New Venture Fund “pop-up” group called the Local Solutions Support Center. She alleges the New Venture Fund looked the other way as she and her diversity, equity, and inclusion colleagues were “subjected to racial harassment.”
