Is Pfizer’s Fellowship Racist? Whites and Asians Need Not Apply!
Darian Douraghy
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Does this meet the definition of racism? A prestigious fellowship sponsored by Pfizer captured attention for its stipulation that only blacks, Latinos, and ‘Native Americans’ should apply to their program. Whites and Asians need not apply — those two ethnicities are specifically barred from the program on the basis of their skin color.
The big pharmaceutical company’s Breakthrough Fellowship Program is apparently part of an effort to up ‘racial diversity’ within its offices. Pfizer plans to add 100 new fellows by 2025.
Those interested in applying for a spot in the program must be a permanent US resident, a junior in college, and most importantly: not white or Asian.
A few civil rights experts joined The Washington Free Beacon to discuss the new program, arguing it very likely violates some type of civil rights law.
“This Pfizer program is so flagrantly illegal I seriously wonder how it passed internal review by its general counsel,” said attorney Adam Mortara to The Beacon.
NEW: Pfizer offers a prestigious fellowship that bars whites and Asians from applying. The fellowship—trumpeted as a "Bold Move” on the company’s website—is a flagrant violation of multiple civil rights laws. 🧵https://t.co/rpSTtHvwCf
— Aaron Sibarium (@aaronsibarium) August 30, 2022
University of San Diego law professor and member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Gail Heriot argued that the case with Pfizer shows a blatant violation of federal law under both the Civil Rights Act of 1866 as well as Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The two pieces of legislation ban racial discrimination in contracting and employment, respectively.
“Major corporations seem to have forgotten that there’s such a thing as law,” said Heriot. “They seem to think that as long as they’re woke, they’re bulletproof.”
“As students receive mentoring and professional development, they also will have the opportunity to grow within the organization, which will lead to parity at all levels to create a vibrant culture where every colleague has the opportunity to succeed,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla explained when describing program.
The company’s annual review showed that the program’s first group was made up of students who are 55% female, 40% black, 40% “Latinx/Hispanic” and 20% two or more races.
Pfizer’s CEO has been no stranger to controversy. A report this May covered Bourla’s musings about the future potential to develop a trackable ‘biological chip’.
“It is a basically biological chip that it is in the tablet and once you take the tablet, it dissolves into your stomach and it sends a signal that you took the tablet,” Bourla said.
“Imagine the implications of that, compliance. The insurance companies can know that the medicines that the patients should take, they do take them. It is fascinating what happens in this field.”
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