Exposing Anti-White Harassment + Discrimination in US Media Companies
FAQs
AKQA
FAIL
akqa.com
TYPE: Global Digital Design & Innovation Agency
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS: Preserve Capital Group and H-FARM
OWNER: WPP and AKQA Group
SUBSIDIARIES: Potato Touch, Map Project Office, Universal Design Studio
2023 REVENUE: $450 million
HEADCOUNT: 1,250
72 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
media@akqa.com
+1 212 989 2572
FAI
This is a summary of AKQA’s DEI initiatives, compiled from publicly available records using AI, with any opinions expressed being those of the AI analysis; this is not legal advice.From the perspective of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), federal law, and New York State’s Human Rights Law (NYSHRL, § 296), AKQA’s Diversity, Equity,* and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, as overseen by key figures such as Asian woman CEO Americas Tesa Aragones, Chief People Officer Katje Chiller, and Interim Chair Stephan Pretorius, raise significant concerns about potential harassment and discrimination against White employees. AKQA’s explicit “Anti-racism” commitment, which condemns “white supremacist structures” and promotes resources like Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility and Ibram X. Kendi’s How To Be an Antiracist, frames Whiteness as inherently problematic, potentially fostering a hostile work environment for White employees under EEOC guidelines and NYSHRL, which prohibit workplace practices that target individuals based on race. Aragones also serves as an advisor for a Stanford program designed for "Brown and Black community members,” which is where her interest seems to lie.
White Fragility states that all White people are complicit in racism and that having good intentions around being "not racist" are insufficient. Nevertheless, DiAngelo instructs White people to actively work to unlearn their implicit racism, futile as it may be. DiAngelo advocates for equity as a goal, and states that [White] America is a deeply racist society. White racism, according to her, is so prevalent and everywhere that White people don’t even see it. White people become “fragile” when prompted to look at their own inherent and ever-present defectiveness and racism, according to DiAngelo.
How To Be An Antiracist author Kendi, who has said that White people “are aliens,” views Whiteness as a made-up race, historically used to justify oppression. He believes that holding Black people responsible for their actions is a classic American con job, and “the only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination.” Another Kendi banger: “If discrimination is creating equity, then it is antiracist…The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.” For Kendi, equity is the cornerstone of antiracism, achieved through policies that would—in his mind—eliminate racial disparities. He defines equity as outcomes where racial groups have similar rates of success. In other words, until everyone is equal (like in Communism), Whiteness will be seen as oppressing people via racism. Kendi views any racial disparity in the world as evidence of racist policies somewhere. Although his books have been banned and his well-funded Boston University The Center for Antiracist Research collapsed due to mismanagement (it produced no studies or policy proposals, despite being given $55 million), certain companies still promote his material, including AKQA. AKQA’s promotion of books which claim that White people are inherently defective and racist is likely to violate Title VII if it creates a severe or pervasive hostile work environment, and is likely to violate NYSHRL’s lower harassment threshold if it disrespects White employees, especially if the agency endorses the book’s claims.
From AKQA’s “Antiracism” webpage states that White people are violently racist: “Every minute of every day, Black people suffer the brutal indignity and degradation of systemic oppression. The evidence clearly shows Black people have been persecuted at the hands of white supremacist structures for centuries, and continue to be so.”*** The U.S. also enables—according to AKQA—“racially motivated attacks and harmful propaganda against people of colour,” suggesting White people are hell-bent on enacting violence and hatred on non-Whites, along with a “litany of microagressions.” AKQA, infering that White people are behind the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S., leaves out the fact that Black perpetrators have the highest rate of anti-Asian violence relative to their population share, followed by Hispanic, then White, with a Black American being almost twice as likely as a White American to attack an Asian-American, while being one-fifth as numerous.
AKQA’s webpage offers 31 media recommendations on how employees can become “Antiracist” in this moment of “historic self-reckoning.” AKQA instructs its employees, “We each have the power to confront white supremacy, by educating ourselves about the ways racism manifests, by interrogating our own actions, and by committing to change.” 35% of the given media are critical of Whiteness while 0% are critical of Blackness. Likewise, 0% are pro-White while 85% are pro-Black. AKQA’s shaming, vilification, segregating, and scapegoating of White people in a corporate setting—on the company’s main webpage—presents a high legal risk of being considered harassment under the EEOC’s Title VII and the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL). Under Title VII, AKQA’s anti-White views could contribute to a hostile work environment if it is deemed severe or pervasive, offensive, and targeting White employees based on race. The NYSHRL has a lower bar, where any conduct creating inferior treatment due to race could qualify as harassment.
The company’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) such as “Roots” (focused on Black excellence) and “API” (combating anti-Asian racism) exclude White employees from equivalent support networks, suggesting unequal treatment. Mandatory “unconscious bias” training, as documented in AKQA’s 2018 Gender Pay Gap report, risks being perceived as coercive indoctrination if it emphasizes White privilege or complicity in systemic racism, potentially violating federal and NYSHRL protections against racial harassment. The composition and function of AKQA's studio-level DEI committees, comprised of employees with "diverse backgrounds and levels of experience" who "collaboratively shape" DEI policy and "participate in leadership discussions," raise potential legal issues regarding the delegation of corporate governance and policy-making. Tesa Aragones, a self-described “trailblazer for DEI” and advisor for programs targeting “Brown and Black” communities, drives initiatives like “Reframing the Greatness of Black,” which prioritizes specific racial groups, while Katje Chiller’s HR leadership promotes an “inclusive” culture that appears to deprioritize White employees’ experiences. These practices, absent equivalent support for White employees and coupled with rhetoric critical of Whiteness, provide a basis for holding AKQA accountable for potentially discriminatory and harassing workplace policies.
Parent Company WPP's DEI initiatives, led by Black woman Chief Talent & Inclusion Officer LJ Louis, encompass a Racial Equity Taskforce, Black Professionals Network, mandatory unconscious bias training, and partnerships to increase representation of underrepresented groups, targeting 30% ethnic minority senior leadership by 2025, while promoting inclusive marketing with major clients. WPP’s shift away from explicit DEI language in 2024 suggests awareness of legal risks, though ongoing programs continue to pose potential violations of federal and New York anti-discrimination laws.
In summation, AKQA’s DEI policies, rooted in anti-racism and equity-focused rhetoric that vilifies Whiteness, reflect a belief in systemic White oppression, carrying a high risk of violating federal and New York State human rights laws, as well as EEOC guidelines, by potentially fostering a hostile work environment and discriminatory treatment of 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.
**AKQA’s practice of segregating employees into two adversarial racial categories, BIPOC/POC 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.
***AKQA is wrong in asserting that White Americans are overrepresented in violence or violent racism. AKQA omits any mention of the stark disparity in homicide rates between races in the US, with Black men being over four times more likely to be charged with murder than White men, despite being one-fifth as numerous. Said another way, Black men commit murder at 20x the rate of White men. AKQA also seemingly conciously omits mentioning the ~770,000 violent interracial crimes committed every year involving Black and White Americans, with Black Americans being perpetrators 85% of the time. AKQA doesn’t mention the U.S. social injustice around Black men murdering police officers at 4-5 times the rate of White men. AKQA appears to be engaging in a false narrative, portraying Whiteness/White people as violent, racist, problematic, unjust, and worthy of shame and criticism. AKQA seems to be upset that Black people are overrepresented in prison, but is unable—for some reason—to link higher levels of Black criminal behavior as the cause of it.
Institutional investors like Preserve Capital Group and H-FARM increasingly emphasize Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including diversity and inclusion metrics, in their investment stewardship and proxy voting guidelines. This external pressure from major shareholders likely serves as a significant driver for AKQA's public commitments and strategic focus on ESG and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). Consequently, accountability for the design and impact of DEI initiatives rests primarily with the company's leadership and board, who must navigate these influential investor expectations.
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.
As reported on April 1, 2025 by MM+M, parent company WPP removed references to DEI in its latest annual report, replacing them with "people and culture."
DieDEI.co is waiting on internal materials for a fuller picture of AKQA’s DEI program. Follow us on social and subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
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.