Exposing Anti-White Harassment + Discrimination in US Media Companies
FAQs
Weber Shandwick
FAIL
webershandwick.com
TYPE: Global Marketing & Communications PR Firm
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS: Vanguard Group, Vanguard Index Funds, SPDR, iShares, Charles Schwab Investment Management, Invesco, Xtrackers, Fidelity Concord Street Trust, John Rogers, American Century Capital Portfolios.
OWNER: IPG (Interpublic Group)
SUBSIDIARIES: -
2023 REVENUE: $900 million to $1 billion (est)
2024 HEADCOUNT: 1,500 - 2,500
909 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10022
212 445 8000
212 326 4200
From the perspective of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), federal law, and New York State’s Human Rights Law (NYSHRL, § 296), Weber Shandwick’s extensive Diversity, Equity,* and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, as outlined in their 2020-2023 "Impact of Inclusion Report," raise concerns about potential harassment and discrimination against White employees. The firm, a subsidiary of the Interpublic Group (IPG) led by CEO Susan Howe and overseen by Global Chief People Officer Molly Roenna, implements race-specific programs like the “C.O.N.N.E.C.T.” sponsorship for BIPOC employees, formalized global DEI goals, partnerships with organizations like I Choose The Ladder (centered around advancing Black women), the “Power of Choice” development for Black talent, and the “HealthFellows” program targeting Black students, while offering no equivalent support for White employees.
Black woman Judith Harrison, Global Chief DEI Officer, and Black woman Staci Rucker, EVP of Inclusion & Belonging, North America, emphasize “systemic change” and “representation” for BIPOC** groups, with 32% of new U.S. hires and 36% of 2023 interns being BIPOC, suggesting race-conscious hiring practices that may conflict with the company’s Equal Opportunity Employer policy. The “Building White Allyship and Anti-Racism” workshop—inferring only White people and employees are capable of being racist—part of mandatory training, risks fostering a hostile work environment by framing White employees as inherently complicit in systemic racism, potentially violating EEOC and NYSHRL standards if it alienates or targets them based on race. United Minds, a Weber Shandwick subsidiary led by Black woman Nadine Redd Blackburn, Black man Emil Hill, and Hispanic woman Danielle Cornejo Calhoun (VP, DEI, North America), reports employee skepticism, with 34% viewing DEI as a “waste” and 47% witnessing discrimination, indicating internal discontent. The focus on reducing BIPOC attrition (14.9%) and Black talent attrition (23.4%) faster than White employee attrition (9.9%) further suggests unequal attention to retention, potentially marginalizing White staff. These practices, driven by IPG’s major investors like Vanguard and BlackRock who push ESG and DEI metrics, may prioritize external optics over equitable treatment, warranting accountability for creating a workplace that could implicitly discriminate against White employees. Black woman Tai Wingfield—who established Weber Shandwick's DEI strategy in 2017—later became Global Inclusion Lead at Unity.
Regarding DEI, Blackburn says companies should, “Hold everyone accountable for progress.” She states, “To achieve and sustain justice—equity in all workplace policies, procedures and ways of working—you need a systemic approach.” Part of this approach is to audit all policies, practices, operations, and ways of working to identify areas for improvement in both equity and alignment with corporate values and DEI objectives while “maintaining equity in all operations and interactions.” To make sure racial justice is being served in companies like at Weber Shandwick, Blackburn says you need to “Hold regular check-ins at every level, in every function, to monitor and discuss progress on the metrics you’ve chosen. Make sure there are consquences for failing to meet behavioral expectations so that everyone knows how much they matter.” She differentiates between Inequality, Equality, Equity, and Justice, with only the goal of corporate racial “Justice”—which includes Equity in her explanation—being suitable for a company’s DEI team. Blackburn's DEI implementation, emphasizing accountability with consequences, active maintenance of equity, regular progress check-ins, and a singular focus on her definition of "Justice," carries a medium to high legal risk under NYSHRL and federal EEO laws due to the potential for discriminatory treatment or a hostile work environment.
Wingfield, female and Black, is passionate about advancing Black women, and has written about “inequity” and how “systemic racism” affects black women (but not White women), while viewing “white privilege” as a factor perpetuating inequities. To Wingfield, White women don’t face barriers, but Black women do. To Wingfield, agencies that don’t enact DEI initiatives are Racist, and agencies that do enact Anti-White DEI initiatives are Anti-Racist.
The firm’s explicit focus on advancing certain racial groups could risk claims of reverse discrimination if White employees perceive exclusion or harassment, potentially violating EEOC guidelines on equal treatment or NYSHRL’s prohibition of discrimination based on race, particularly if hiring or promotion practices disproportionately favor non-White candidates without clear, non-discriminatory justification.
*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.
**Weber Shandwick’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.
Institutional investors of parent company IPG like Vanguard Group 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 parent company shareholders likely serves as a significant driver for Weber Shandwick'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.
It is illegal and contrary to public policy for any organization, including nonprofits, to instruct companies on discriminatory or harassing practices, potentially resulting in serious legal and financial repercussions such as lawsuits for facilitating discrimination, reputational harm, loss of IRS tax-exempt status, and investigations by state and federal civil rights authorities.
DieDEI.co is waiting on internal materials for a fuller picture of Weber Shandwick’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.