Exposing Anti-White Harassment + Discrimination in US Media Companies
FAQs
ADCOLOR
FAIL
adcolor.org
TYPE: Black-centric Not-for-Profit 501(c)(6) Organization that champions DE&I in the creative industries
PRINCIPLE OFFICER: C/O Omincom Group
Omnicom Group is a corporate member of ADCOLOR and has a significant presence on the organization's advisory board and other leadership positions. Specifically, individuals like Jochebed Fekadu (Director of DE&I at Omnicom Precision Marketing Group) and Eric Cleary (Associate General Counsel – Corporate at Omnicom Group) have served on ADCOLOR's advisory board and board of directors, respectively. Additionally, Katie Beaule, a senior PR manager at Omnicom Group, is also the Communications Manager for ADCOLOR, according to ADCOLOR. Omnicom Group's commitment extends beyond advisory roles, as they are also listed as an ADCOLOR Everywhere Partner and Corporate Member, according to ADCOLOR.
FOUNDER: Tiffany R. Warren
2023 U.S. REVENUE: $6.81 million
U.S. HEADCOUNT: ~40
437 Madison Ave Floor 9
New York, NY 10022
+1 212 415 3600
info@adcolor.org
Viewed through the lens of the EEOC, federal law, and New York State’s Human Rights Law (NYSHRL, § 296), ADCOLOR’s DEI initiatives and anti-bias training may raise concerns for potentially fostering a hostile work environment or encouraging race-based discrimination, particularly if they implicitly target White employees or lead to discriminatory hiring practices. ADCOLOR, a New York-based nonprofit founded in 2005 by Tiffany R. Warren (a Black woman, Executive VP, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for Sony Music Group), aims to advance DEI* in creative industries like advertising, marketing, media, tech, and entertainment through initiatives like the ADCOLOR Conference, ADCOLOR FUTURES, ADCOLOR LEADERS, and ADCOLOR Awards, while partnering with companies such as Google, Disney, and Apple (Although Warren’s job titles don't explicitly mention "Equity," interviews highlight her long-standing commitment and dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). ADCOLOR trains such companies to view workplaces as hazardous environments for non-White individuals, emphasizing a culture steeped in biases and microaggressions. ADCOLOR's framework distinguishes between White individuals and "Communities of Color" in its approach to diversity and inclusion, and the organization lists "racism," particularly that originating from White individuals, as an official pandemic. They assert that the creative industries foster unconscious and conscious biases, ranging from racial discrimination to harassment, creating a hostile atmosphere for non-White employees, with hostility coming from White employees and people. ADCOLOR highlights that microaggressions are especially rampant among marketers, contributing to mental health issues like depression and trauma, particularly for Black women who apparently face a tense, unsafe work environment. ADCOLOR promotes anti-bias training to partnersm which could be perceived as harassing White employees under the lens of the EEOC and NYSHRL (§ 296) if it creates a hostile work environment or implicitly targets them based on race. Such training often emphasizes systemic racism, unconscious bias, and the need for racial equity, which may include discussions framing Whites as inherently privileged or complicit in perpetuating inequality.
ADCOLOR’s DEI frameworks could pose legal risks if misapplied by partners, as coaching companies to explicitly hire fewer White people as a DEI strategy would likely violate the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL § 296), which, similar to federal law, prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, color, or other protected characteristics, including against White individuals. Such practices could be deemed reverse discrimination, violating NYSHRL § 296(1), which bars discriminatory hiring practices, and § 296(1)(h), which prohibits harassment or hostile work environments based on race. Federal laws, like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, similarly prohibit race-based employment decisions, and recent legal scrutiny, including the 2023 Supreme Court affirmative action rulings and the January 2025 Trump Executive Order targeting DEI programs, heightens risks for such initiatives. ADCOLOR's August 2024 "State of the Workplace Study" by Cardinal Change Consulting analyzed the Supreme Court's 2023 affirmative action ruling and its implications for DEI in advertising and related industries under New York law, given increasing legal challenges. The study found that 69% of ADCOLOR members expect negative DEI program impacts and backlash, potentially conflicting with non-discrimination mandates, while legal scrutiny and "reverse discrimination" lawsuits increase compliance risks under both state and federal law. Its advisory role limits direct liability, but partner companies must implement its guidance carefully to avoid creating hostile work environments or discriminatory practices, especially given the 2019 NYSHRL amendments lowering harassment thresholds and heightened scrutiny of DEI post-2023 affirmative action rulings and federal legal precedents. Black-focused DEI advocacy group Six Hundred and Rising’s co-founder, Nathan Young, slammed ADCOLOR in 2020, saying, “@ADCOLOR is an awards ceremony completely divorced from reality that sells the story that progress is being made on diversity in advertising and buys cover for holding companies”. Given ADCOLOR's focus on inclusion across various dimensions of identity, it could be seen as notable that a majority of speakers and members appear to be Black and female. To be a top listed ADCOLOR partner and to show the world that you support Tiffany Warren’s DEI dreams around ending the pandemic of White racism and hostility, and microaggressions against Black female marketers, simply donate $300,000 to her company by emailing partnerships@adcolor.org.
ADCOLOR’s DEI training for companies risks promoting discriminatory or harassing practices, exposing both ADCOLOR, for facilitating unlawful practices, and the receiving companies, for implementing them, to significant legal, financial, and reputational liabilities.
ADCOLOR’s policies reflect a strong belief in addressing systemic racism and microaggressions through DEI training and advocacy, but they carry a moderate to high risk of violating federal and state human rights laws, as well as EEOC guidelines, if their frameworks lead to race-based discrimination or a hostile work environment for White employees.
*DEI "equity" involves prioritizing certain racial, gender, or identity groups with targeted resources or opportunities to ensure equal outcomes at the cost of fairness and individual merit. DEI’s equity focus shares some similarities with communism and socialism in its group-based, redistributive approach, and with totalitarianism in ideological coercion.
**ADCOLOR’s practice of segregating employees into two adversarial racial categories, BIPOC vs White, can be seen as problematic under the NYSHRL and may raise concerns under federal law and with the EEOC, as it creates distinctions based on race that could foster division, disparate treatment, and a hostile work environment, potentially violating prohibitions against discriminatory employment practices.
This information is based on publicly available information, including websites, case studies, and news articles from a recent period. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, please refer to the company's official announcements. The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice; consult a licensed attorney for specific legal guidance.
DieDEI.co is waiting on internal materials for a fuller picture of ADCOLOR’s DEI program. Follow us on social and subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
These partnerships support events, programs, and DEI initiatives, though specific client relationships are not publicly detailed.
NOTE: Client lists are subject to change. This information is based on publicly available information, including websites, case studies, and news articles from a recent period. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, please refer to the company's official announcements.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Ashley McGowan, Carla Eboli, Constance Cannon Frazier, CP McBee, Doug Melville, Ghada Dajani, Gina Grillo, Keesha Jean-Baptiste, Kim Getty, Mark Zangrilli, Michael Munoz, Michele Ghee, Nicole Hall, Singleton Beato, Stephen Kim, Susie Nam, Tiffany R. Warren.
ADVISORY BOARD: Aaron Francois, Alicia Harris, Armando Sanchez Monsivais, Brandon Clark, Carlin Dixon, Cherish Lee, Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt, Courtney Jones, Destanee Bonds, Emmeline Jean, Gabrielle Gomez, Geoff McHenry, Ivy Phan, Jacklyn Baillergeon, JL Perez, Jochebed Fekadu, Kevin Kim, Keyon Branch, Kia Robinson, Kristen Dufauchard, Lauren Guity, Marcus Andrew, Mefah Joyner, Natalie Alcide, Nicole Godreau, Pilar McQuirter, Rachelle Olden, Robert H. Tate, Samra Seifu, Sylvia Knight Hanner, Tiffany Leung.
LEADERS ADVISORY BOARD: Lois Castillo, Marques E. Zak, Sakinah Charbeneau.
ADCOLOR TEAM: Akintayo Adewole, Ana Leen, Candace D. Queen, Criseli Saenz, Isa Beltre, Katie Beaule, Tiffany R. Warren.
COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS: Ashley Simms, Danny Hernandez, Deandra Simon, Geraldine Mpetey, Michanda Young, Miguel Lopez Ixta, Mimi Munoz, Nneka Enurah, Rachita Vasan, Sean Choi, So A Ryu, Storm Smith, Syma Myan, Tadji Akhavan Smith, Wadnes Castelly.