Consulting giant bars white people in attempt to ‘accelerate racial equity’
U.S. Bank and Bayer Pharmaceuticals appear to be among the corporations that participated in employee leadership training programs hosted by McKinsey and Company that banned white employees from participation on the basis of their race, according to videos posted online by the consulting giant.
High-level minority employees of both U.S. Bank and Bayer Pharmaceuticals were featured in a video showcasing McKinsey’s “Connected Leaders Academy,” a career advancement program that bars white employees from participating in an attempt to “accelerate racial equity” and “diversify talent pipelines,” according to McKinsey, the management consulting firm that once employed Pete Buttigieg.
“The programs are delivered through identity-based communities – Black Leadership Academy, Hispanic and Latino Leadership Academy, and Asian Leadership Academy,” McKinsey writes in its description of the video featuring the executives.
U.S. Bank’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy Manager Astrid Benedetto celebrated the racially discriminatory program, stating that it helps the company think about “how we can equitably and fairly manage our talent pipeline.”
Allison Smith, the talent management lead at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, also praised the Connected Leaders Academy in the video posted to McKinsey’s YouTube channel, stating that it “helps to really develop our employees for their next opportunity.”