McDonald’s has opened one of its scholarship programs to all races and ethnicities after the company faced a lawsuit for limiting the scholarship to Latino and Hispanic students.
McDonald’s HACER scholarship previously required applicants to be of Latino heritage, making it discriminatory against non-Hispanic/Latino students.
“We reached the conclusion that settling this lawsuit and evolving the program is the right thing to do for its recipients,” McDonald’s leadership wrote in a statement, before doubling down on the company’s “steadfast commitment to Inclusion.”
Despite McDonald’s settling the lawsuit and agreeing to expand the program, ethnicity hasn’t been completely removed from the scholarship.
Current criteria has been updated to say applicants must “demonstrate their impact and contribution to the Hispanic/Latino community through their activities, leadership, and service,” according to the statement from McDonald’s leadership.
McDonald’s recently rolled back some DEI initiatives within the company, but the fast-food chain appears to remain committed to DEI principles.
“Inclusion” is one of our core values…[and] our commitment to inclusion requires ongoing focus,” McDonald’s senior leadership wrote in an letter to employees and franchisees.
McDonald’s has reportedly spent more than $33 million in McDonald’s HACER scholarships. Individual scholarships range between $5,000 to $100,000 and more than 3,000 students have completed this year’s application.
Campus Reform reported that the lawsuit against McDonald’s was filed on Jan. 12 by the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER), a legal group opposed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.
Campus Reform has contacted McDonald’s for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
