We’re Suing Pfizer For Its Racially Discriminatory Fellowship

Do No Harm sued pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on September 15^th. Why? It runs a fellowship program that explicitly discriminates by race. This is illegal, immoral, and insulting – so we’re fighting to hold Pfizer accountable.

Pfizer’s “Breakthrough Fellowship Program” is a highly prestigious and competitive program that includes a summer internship, full-time employment, and a scholarship for an advanced degree – nine years of substantial benefits, all told. Yet not everyone can apply. One of its requirements is that applicants “meet the program’s goals of increasing the pipeline for Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic and Native Americans.”

In other words, White and Asian applicants aren’t welcome.

This is the exact kind of racial discrimination that so-called “anti-racism” requires. Similarly offensive fellowships and scholarships can be found across healthcare, from the journal Health Affairs to leading medical schools. It’s part of the woke push to ensure “diversity,” even if it means engaging in discrimination.

Do No Harm is suing on behalf of two of our members. Pfizer’s racial discrimination is illegal under the Civil Rights Act, the Affordable Care Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law. We’re asking the federal courts to stop the company from picking winners and losers based on their skin color.

The Wall Street Journal broke the news of our lawsuit. Now it’s up to the courts to say this injustice cannot stand. Pfizer should know better than to racially discriminate – a backwards practice that has no place in healthcare or anywhere else in America.

Image credit: Montgomery County Planning Commission via CC BY-SA 2.0