White Students Can Apply For McDonald's Latino Scholarship After DEI Lawsuit

McDonald's will be accepting applications from white students for a scholarship initially aimed at Hispanic and Latino students after the fast-food chain was sued for unlawfully discriminating against certain ethnic identities.

The McDonald's HACER National Scholarship, founded in 1985, began with the aim of promoting the pursuit of higher education within the Hispanic and Latino communities.

It awarded money to high school seniors with at least one Latino parent in order to support their ability to attend college.

Since its founding 40 years ago, the scholarship has awarded students with a total of $33 million. This year's applicant pool already sits at 3,000.

Earlier this year, the American Alliance for Equal Rights filed a lawsuit against the fast-food chain on behalf of an Arkansas high school student unable to apply for the scholarship due to her ethnicity. The suit alleges that McDonald's illegally discriminates against other ethnic groups in awarding the scholarship.

"So non-Hispanics — including non-Hispanics with severe financial need and racial minorities like blacks, Arabs, and Native Americans — are flatly barred based on their ethnic heritage," the lawsuit claimed. "This kind of discrimination was never lawful."

AAER says that an "individual's race should not be used to help them, or harm them, in their life's endeavors," states their website.

Following the war on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) launched by the Trump administration, McDonald's had already scaled back initiatives aimed at promoting inclusivity earlier this year. The Trump administration continues to obstruct efforts towards promoting DEI, including cutting finding for anti-racism programs through the Department of Education and even blaming a mid-air collision of two aircraft near the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, on DEI initiatives.

While McDonald's disagreed with AAER's interpretation of the scholarship, it instituted changes allowing white applicants to become eligible for the scholarship, after which AAER withdrew the lawsuit.

"For the past 70 years, guided by our values, we've evolved our programs to the times and needs of the places we operate. We are resolute in our purpose to feed and foster communities and committed to the people counting on us to deliver," said the statement.

Originally published on Latin Times