The New York Yankees said they are still hosting diversity, equity, and inclusion committees and summits, despite Major League Baseball removing references to such activities online.
While MLB removed references to DEI initiatives as well as its DEI-centric hiring pipeline program in March, sources inside the organization claimed the Yankees are still engaging in possibly discriminatory hiring practices that were thought to be finished.
At the same time, other race-based activities are still firmly in place.
‘Our dedication towards these efforts remains unchanged.’
Ahead of Jackie Robinson Day, an annual celebration by the league in which every player wears Robinson’s number, the New York Yankees were asked about their commitment to DEI by the New York Daily News. The franchise said that its commitments are unwavering.
“We are continually working with the members of our Diversity and Inclusion Committee and are actively engaged with our neighbors and community partners,” said Brian Smith, the Yankees’ senior vice president of corporate and community relations. “Our dedication towards these efforts remains unchanged, and our Diversity and Inclusion Committee continues to do its work.”
The outlet then noted the Yankees’ alleged five pillars of diversity, which were a series of buzzwords such as socioeconomic development, social responsibility, and health and wellness. The remaining two pillars were focused on “education” and working on diversity and inclusion within the Yankees organization.
This appeared to be in lockstep with what an MLB spokesman said on the matter in March: that the league’s stance on DEI had not changed despite public perception.
“As the commissioner stated, our values on diversity remain unchanged. We are in the process of evaluating our programs for any modifications to eligibility criteria that are needed to ensure our programs are compliant with federal law as they continue forward.”
MLB diversity-related websites appear to remain down, however, even the one referred to just days ago in the local report, titled “Diversity and Inclusion Committee | New York Yankees.”
A page that showcased a press release about the creation of the committee also no longer exists.
Although it seems the Yankees would prefer to be less public about the race-based initiatives, the diversity council reportedly meets twice per year and subsets of the group meet regularly.
Inside sources were alleged to have claimed that New York Yankees’ hiring practices have not changed either, meaning the team is still making staffing decisions based on race.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
