Overview

• The American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) filed a lawsuit against McDonald's, claiming its HACER National Scholarships Program discriminates by limiting eligibility to students with Hispanic or Latino heritage.
• The lawsuit comes shortly after McDonald's announced changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, including ending diversity goals for corporate leadership.
• Since 1985, the HACER program has awarded over $33 million in scholarships to more than 17,000 Hispanic and Latino students, with individual awards reaching up to $100,000.
• The AAER, led by Edward Blum, is seeking a court injunction to halt the program, arguing it violates federal civil rights laws by excluding students of other racial and ethnic backgrounds.
• McDonald's stated it is reviewing the complaint and emphasized its ongoing evaluation of programs to ensure alignment with its updated inclusion strategy.