Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Anheuser-Busch for Racist and Sexist Hiring

Bud Light beer cans sit on a table at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md., on Sept. 19, 2019. Rob Carr/Getty Images

The makers of Bud Light, who are facing a nationwide public backlash over promoting trans-activism in the name of diversity, have found themselves amid a civil rights complaint for racist and sexist hiring practices.

“The evidence is that Anheuser-Busch is knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully discriminating based on race, color, national origin, and sex with respect to employment and job training opportunities,” said the April 17 complaint (pdf) filed by public charity America First Legal (AFL) with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against beverage manufacturer Anheuser-Busch.

AFL pointed to the Missouri-based company’s 2023 Leadership Accelerator Program, which provides leadership-development programs for individuals who identify as historically underrepresented groups as they join the company in a full-time capacity.

“We encourage candidates who identify as Black, Latinx, and Native American to apply, as well as those who identify with a historically underrepresented group,” according to the program’s job profile. The company insists that it is an “equal opportunity employer.”

AFL slammed such tactics, pointing out that the Leadership Accelerator Program notably excludes white and Asian-American citizens.

In a recent post, the nonprofit accuses the company of discriminating based on race, color, national origin, and sex in their employment practices under the cloak of equity.

“It is a fast-track program to executive leadership positions at Anheuser-Busch, and it is limited to candidates based on race. The proforma Equal Opportunity Employer language at the end of the posting does mask the company’s discriminatory intent and purpose,” the letter states.

In addition, Anheuser-Busch’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy also boosted the presence of women in the company’s senior leadership team, the organization said.

Exclusionary Practices?

AFL points out that federal law forbids an employer from discriminating against an existing or potential employee due to the person’s race, color, national origin, sex, or religion. In addition, employers are also forbidden from limiting, segregating, or classifying employees or applicants in such a discriminatory manner that would affect the individual’s employment opportunities.

“A commissioner’s charge is particularly appropriate here because there is ample reason to believe that Anheuser-Busch has knowingly and intentionally violated federal law and will continue to do so,” the letter said.

“The corporation has chosen to promote and use employment practices that are both patently illegal and deeply harmful.”

Anheuser-Busch recently attracted criticism after it sent custom beer cans to trans-activist Dylan Mulvaney featuring the person’s face. Critics had slammed the move as pushing a transgender agenda. The can was created to celebrate Mulvaney’s apparently one year of transitioning into womanhood.

Bud Light’s promotional campaign with Mulvaney came after it appointed Alissa Heinerscheid as the vice president of marketing at the company in July 2022. With her appointment, Heinerscheid became the first woman to lead Bud Light in the company’s four-decade history.

Heinerscheid admitted that she wanted to push an “inclusive” ideology within the company during a March 23 podcast, “Make Yourself at Home,” hosted by Kristin Twiford.

“Female representation in this role has been something I’ve been really committed to … Ever since I took this job, I wanted to try to move the needle in some small choices along the way.”

DEI Initiatives

In its 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report (pdf), Anheuser-Busch details the various DEI initiatives it has implemented at its businesses across the world.

The company’s “Global Parental Leave Standard” offers 16 weeks of parental leave to primary caregivers, which includes individuals from “all gender identities and all entry points to parenthood.”

“We have introduced inclusive benefits such as gender-affirming medical support for transgender colleagues in the U.S. and Canada, and financial and legal support for name changes for colleagues in Brazil and Colombia.”

“In Europe, we launched the Female Leadership Academy, a 10-week program to help foster a female leader community. In 2022, 45 women participated in our Women’s Leadership Program, a one-year executive development program to help women leaders across all our markets.”

In the United States, the company’s “Presidente” brand launched the “Step Up to the Plate” internship program targeted at enabling Hispanic students to learn the business side of sports marketing.

Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser brand and the United Negro College Fund launched the Natalie Johnson Scholarship in the United States that offers “annual monetary rewards” to black students pursuing certain STEM majors.

Last year, the company created a new leadership position to grow its DEI strategy and appointed its first global vice president of DEI. Anheuser-Busch pointed out that the representation of women among the top five leadership levels rose by two percentage points in 2022, to 28 percent.

“Iconic American brands, like Anheuser-Busch, have become shells of their founders’ visions due to weak-kneed corporate leadership who routinely cave to idealogues whose thirst for an ever-changing notion of ‘social justice’ is relentless,” Gene Hamilton, America First Legal vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.

“All racial discrimination is wrong, and race-based employment programs or opportunities are antithetical to the American ideal. Equality under the law will never be achieved in the United States if its largest corporations are permitted to engage in blatant discrimination against certain groups of citizens.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Anheuser-Busch for comment.