Grant program for Black women comes under tough questioning in key anti-DEI lawsuit

By ALEXANDRA OLSON and DAVID FISCHER
Associated Press Writers

MIAMI (AP) — A small venture capital firm faced tough questions from conservative judges Wednesday as it defended a grant program for Black women-owned businesses in a lawsuit that has become emblematic of a growing legal backlash against corporate diversity programs. The Fearless Fund is asking a three-judge panel in a U.S. federal court of appeals to lift an injunction against one of its programs that provides $20,000 to businesses owned by Black women. The panel consists of two judges appointed by former President Donald Trump and one appointed by President Barack Obama. The conservative group American Alliance for Equal Rights filed the lawsuit against the Fearless Fund, arguing that its grant program is racially discriminatory.