Beatty, Horsford, Meeks, Al Green, and Cleaver Request Diversity Data from Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman

Washington, DC — Congresswoman Joyce Beatty joined her colleagues Congressman Steven Horsford, Congressman Al Green, Congressman Gregory Meeks, and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, in sending a letter to Bill Ackman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pershing Square Capital Management, requesting the firm’s diversity data by January 19, 2024.

In the letter, the Members state:

“We write to express our concern about your recent public statements opposing DEI practices, which directly contradict Pershing Square’s stated diversity commitments. Your recent campaign mischaracterizes efforts to expand opportunity at institutions and workforces that have excluded women and people of color for generations, ignoring the fact that American business has never been colorblind. To address our concern that your attacks on diversity efforts are harmful to your employees and investors, we request that you provide Pershing Square’s diversity data.”

Following the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, many major U.S. corporations pledged more than $50 billion towards addressing racial inequities across the country and committed to strengthening their company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Now, more than three years later, and in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling ending affirmative action on college campuses, conservative efforts have turned their focus to corporate DEI initiatives designed to close the opportunity gap created by decades of policies excluding specific populations.

Ackman’s attacks on DEI efforts are a troubling sign that corporate America may be rolling back DEI efforts to the detriment of their employees and customers, despite ample evidence that diversity and inclusion boosts profits, innovation, and performance. As Members on the House Financial Services Committee with oversight of the financial industry, the Members requested Pershing Square’s workforce diversity data to determine the extent to which all groups are represented at the firm. 

A full copy of the letter can be found here.

For inquiries, please contact Todd Valentine at Todd.Valentine@mail.house.gov.

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