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A former Paramount executive has filed a lawsuit alleging age and racial discrimination , claiming the company’s diversity push led to his firing after 30 years. Joseph Jerome, who is white, filed the lawsuit in California federal court on Oct. 31, 2025, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the suit, Jerome, who worked at Paramount from 1994 to 2024, alleges he was one of three CBS Media Ventures (CMV) attorneys terminated and replaced by younger employees from minority groups. At the beginning of 2024, CMV reportedly had an approximately even split of white and minority attorneys, the lawsuit states. However, all those laid off from Jerome’s division were reportedly white and over 50 years old. The complaint states that a 25-year-old Black law school graduate and former CMV intern assumed Jerome’s position as the senior vice president of business and legal affairs and production counsel for Entertainment Tonight, while younger Asian attorneys whose prior roles were eliminated...
OpenAI’s Sora 2 is once again being misused. The feature has led to users creating AI-generate d videos through its model, which the company claims is “accurate, realistic, and more controllable than prior systems,” as AFROTECH™ previously told you. The feature was called out by Dr. Bernice A. King, the daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr., which prompted OpenAI, founded by Sam Altman, to stop users from creating deepfake videos of the Civil Rights activist. “The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. (King, Inc.) and OpenAI have worked together to address how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s likeness is represented in Sora generations. Some users generated disrespectful depictions of Dr. King’s image. So at King, Inc.’s request, OpenAI has paused generations depicting Dr. King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures,” OpenAI said on X. Futurism reports that in the latest controversy surrounding Sora 2, it was use d to depict a Black woman selling $2,500 a month in...
Former CBS producer Trey Sherman is accusing his employer of only laying off people of color on his team. The Wall Street Journal reported that nearly 2,000 Paramount employees were being laid off, including those under CBS. The company’s chief executive, David Ellison, said the layoffs were to address “redundancies that have emerged across the organization,” while also removing roles that don’t align with the company’s “new structure” that will prioritize growth. Sherman, who is Black and served as an associate producer for canceled “CBS Evening News+”, per New York Post, took to TikTok to reveal that the show had been canceled and every producer on his team who was laid off was a person of color, while those who found new roles within the company were white. He claimed that he had personally asked each white person on his team if they had been laid off, and they each said no. “Every person who gets to stay and will be relocated within the company is a white person,” Sherman...
“Agent Ratliff, ID No. 33712,” a popular YouTuber born Calimar White, has been sued in federal court by a Baton Rouge, LA, business over comedy sketches where he poses as a fake government agent. According to WBRZ News 2, Holmes Building Materials Inc. and supervisor Derek Jones filed a defamation suit against White, alleging that an Aug. 12, 2025, YouTube video with over 120,000 views damaged the company’s reputation. The lawsuit claims that White, joined by another comic and a cameraman, visited Holmes’ business on Aug. 1, 2025, and, implying they were acting under government authority, deliberately misled employees, WBRZ reports. White allegedly identified himself as a federal agent with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), claiming he and a colleague were investigating employee complaints at the business. He supposedly accused the supervisor of racial harassment, nepotism , and other misconduct. In the YouTube video, White refers to his agency as...
California’s new rules on Automated Decision Systems (ADS) will go into effect starting Oct. 1, 2025. These rules will require companies to follow strict guidelines when using AI for hiring, promotions, or performance reviews, thus holding automated tools to the standard set under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) concerning discrimination and bias. Employers and AI vendors must also keep audits, decision logs, and other records for at least four years. Both employers and vendors can be held responsible if their AI tools show bias, according to Holland & Hart. At the same time, a federal court in California has allowed a nationwide collective action in the Mobley v. Workday lawsuit, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. The case alleges age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), as stated in the official court document. Applicants aged 40 and older who applied through Workday’s platform since Sept. 24, 2020, can join the lawsuit. The case...
In Roseland, LA — a predominantly Black town a little more than 60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge — residents are reeling from the aftermath of a massive explosion. On Aug. 22, 2025, a blast at Smitty’s Supply, a major lubricant manufacturer, sent oily droplets raining down as far as 20 miles away, covering homes, cars and the community in a tar-like film, according to Capital B News. When more than 80% of the town’s residents, who were forced to evacuate, returned home on Aug. 26, the air remained thick with the stench of petroleum, the outlet reports. “In the long run, this is gonna mess up for a long time, and they don’t care because of who lives here,” said Roseland resident and previous Smitty’s Supply employee, Tyreik Taylor, pointing to racial discrimination. “We don’t know what’s in this air right now or what might be in our water and bodies,” Taylor continued. Taylor, 26, and Tevin Moore, 33, are among hundreds of employees laid off from Smitty’s since the explosion, per...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The current and future benefits of AI have been mostly what is centered in conversations about the emerging technology, but recently, people have been bringing attention to what this may be costing people, especially Black and brown ones. We are all aware of how racism exists as it relates to systems, but you can also see signs of racism in the way environments are formed and how they are, or are not, tended to over time. Prominent Black figures and organizations have recently been calling out how AI could affect Black communities. Billboard reported that R&B artist SZA stated her concerns about how much energy and pollution goes into running AI. She specifically mentioned Memphis, TN, where the NAACP has notified Elon Musk’s xAI with their intent to sue the company for the pollution it’s creating in the city, as reported by AP. Environmental racism is not a new topic, but it has come to light...
The unemployment rate for Black women stands at nearly 6%, marking the third consecutive month of high rates among the group — an alarming trend economists see as a warning sign for the broader economy. The 19th, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data, reported that the unemployment rate for Black women increased from 5.1% in March to 6.1% in April, peaking at 6.2% in May before decreasing slightly to 5.8% in June. In contrast, rates for white and Asian women stayed near 3%, and around 5% for Latinas. Most male subgroups experienced no change, except for Black men, whose rate increased from 5.2% in May to 6.9% in June. Black women lost 38,000 jobs in April, more than any other demographic. Their unemployment increased by 106,000, AFROTECH™ previously reported. This can be troubling, as Black women have the highest labor force participation of any female group, often working in essential sectors such as health care , education, and the federal government. Jasmine Tucker, VP of...
Cities across the U.S. have a clear opportunity to boost their economies by increasing the number of Black-owned businesses that serve as employers. Recognizing this potential, The Brookings Institution’s Metro Center for Community Uplift initiative is on a mission to help communities, policymakers, and grassroots organizers understand the crucial role of Black entrepreneurship. In June 2025, Brookings launched the Black Business Parity Dashboard. The dashboard shows the number of businesses and jobs, as well as the potential revenue and payroll generated if Black business ownership were to match the Black population in metro areas, according to a Brookings news release. Brookings’ research indicates that Black Americans outperform the national average in entrepreneurial traits tied to business success. However, systemic financial barriers — such as limited access to credit and the long-standing denial of wealth-building opportunities — have hindered growth. Centuries of denying...
It will now be easier for employees to file reverse discrimination lawsuits. This stems from an initial lawsuit filed by Marlean Ames in 2020. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, she had been working at an Ohio government agency managing juvenile corrections until her position was given to a gay man the year before she filed her claim. Ames, a heterosexual white woman, also mentioned a promotion was given to another individual who was lesbian, a person she claims was less qualified. At the time, those from majority backgrounds — such as white, heterosexual, or male individuals — were required to present more evidence than minority individuals s howing proof of discrimination in the workplace. “Title VII aims to eradicate all discrimination in the workplace. But the background circumstances rule doesn’t do that, doesn’t eradicate discrimination,” Ames’ lawyer Xiao Wang told Reuters. “It instructs courts to practice it by sorting individuals into majority and minority groups based on...
Workday is at the center of a collective action lawsuit that alleges its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered hiring tools discriminate against applicants over 40 years old, violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. Derek Mobley, a Black, disabled man in his 40s, filed a lawsuit in February 2023, claiming he applied for over 100 jobs without success, according to ITPro. “Despite his qualifications, Mobley was allegedly denied employment for every one of the 100-plus applications that he submitted to companies using Workday’s platform,” the lawsuit states . Workday provides cloud-based software to support businesses’ financial management as well as the hiring process for new employees. Workday’s initial motion to dismiss the case was granted, allowing for amendments to be made. However, the judge later denied its attempt to dismiss the newly amended complaint. A judge ruled on May 16 that Mobley’s age discrimination claims could proceed as a collective action...
The lifeline of a multi-billion-dollar effort to support minority- and women-owned businesses is under investigation. Established in 1983, The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program provides $37 billion in funding to minority- and women-owned businesses, supporting nearly 49,000 “disadvantaged” businesses, The Washington Post reports. But now the Justice Department argues that this program, provided through the Department of Transportation, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The case originated from two Indiana-based transportation companies Mid-America Milling and Bagshaw Trucking, which in 2023 alleged that they lost opportunities when minority- and women-owned businesses were awarded contracts through the “largest, and perhaps oldest affirmative action program in U.S. history.” The DBE program was defended by the Justice Department during former President Joe Biden’s administration, stating that it was essential to combat discrimination in...
A racial bias lawsuit has been settled by Google. According to Reuters, the tech giant had been accused of racial bias against more than 4,000 Black employees in California and New York. Plaintiffs in a proposed 2022 class action lawsuit—stemming from the California Civil Rights Department—claimed that management provided opportunities only for lower-ranked roles, compensated them less, gave lower performance ratings, and denied them opportunities for advancement within the company. They described Google as having a “racially biased corporate culture.” These patterns led April Curley, who no longer works at Google, to file a lawsuit in federal court in San Jose, CA, notes the Los Angeles Times. Curley had been with Google for six years, and her responsibilities included establishing recruiting programs in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. However, she and other Black women were allegedly not allowed to present during company meetings, and she claimed she...
A plan to empower Chicago, IL-based Black students is now being investigated by the federal government. According to ABC 7, Chicago Public Schools is being investigated by the Trump administration’s Department of Education — led by Linda E. McMahon — for allegedly using racial discrimination in its Black Students Success Plan. The plan is a five-year initiative that was announced during Black History Month 2025 to improve graduation rates and reduce suspensions for Black students, increase hiring of Black teachers, and “combat anti-Blackness” through its curriculums and professional development, notes Chalkbeat-Chicago. “Today’s action by the Trump Administration’s Department of Education, influenced by the right-wing group Defending Education, is yet another attempt to hinder the progress we are striving to achieve,” Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates commented in her statement, according to ABC 7. “Rather than using the Department to create opportunities for...
The majority of Levi Strauss & Co.’s shareholders have voted against anti-DEI proposals. WWD reports the company received a proposal from the National Center for Public Policy Research requesting that its shareholders “consider abolishing its DEI program, policies, department and goal.” At a time when other major corporations have rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in response to President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate DEI across the federal government , the proposal referenced that “Alphabet and Meta cut DEI staff and DEI-related investments; and Microsoft and Zoom laid off their entire DEI teams.” Levi’s executives, however, do not believe the company has partaken in discriminatory policies in its recruitment or promotions, according to David Jedrzejek, Levi’s senior vice president and general counsel, per the outlet. Still, Stefan Padfield, executive director of the National Center’s Free Enterprise Project, made a point to mention at the...
