WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as part of its initiative under the Center for Legal Equality, America First Legal (AFL) asked the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to open a civil rights investigation of Twilio for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. AFL also wrote to Twilio’s Chairperson, Jeff Lawson, and its Board of Directors demanding that the Company’s management stop violating its fiduciary duty to shareholders.
On September 14, 2022, Twilio announced layoffs that “were carried out through an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression lens” because “[l]ayoffs like this can have a more pronounced impact on marginalized communities.” This is patently illegal. An employer may not take into account a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or sexual orientation) or national origin when deciding which employees will be laid off.
Twilio is also engaged in unlawful hiring quotas based on race. In 2020, the company committed to “achieving representation parity for Black Twilions at every level of the company.” Moreover, Twilio established programs such as a software engineering apprenticeship only for “underrepresented persons,” and an online coaching program and leadership development and career advancement program for only “Black and Latinx” employees.
Since Twilio’s management announced its racist and illegal employment practices in June 2020, the Company’s share price has dropped by approximately seventy-five percent.
AFL continues to fight against woke companies to stop the abhorrent cancer of racist “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies and to protect equal opportunity and our civil rights.
Read the EEOC Letter here.
Read the letter to Twilio here.
Photo credit: Feng Yu/Adobe Stock Images
