NASCAR offers a paid “diversity internship” that excludes white people from applying on the basis of their race, a stipulation a constitutional lawyer tells The Daily Wire is “blatantly illegal.”
The race car giant’s “diversity internship program” states that there are racial requirements that applicants must meet in order to be accepted.
The first bullet point listed under the heading “Program Requirements” reads “Be a member of one or more of the following races/ethnic minority classifications: Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Latino or Hispanic, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.”
David Bernstein, a professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law, told The Daily Wire that NASCAR’s racially discriminatory program is “blatantly illegal,” noting that it would “seem to violate Title VII and the 1866 Civil Rights Act.”
“Having a 100% quota for minorities for a position is illegal even under a very generous view of what is allowed,” Bernstein said, adding that a potential applicant who was unable to apply on the basis of his or her race would have legal standing to sue the company.
NASCAR’s diversity internship program appears to be part of a broader company campaign called “Drive for Diversity,” which also includes race-based mentorship programs.
The “Pit Crew Development Program,” for example, is described as a “comprehensive training program for aspiring minority and female pit crew members.” There’s also the “Driver Development Program,” which provides “top minority and female drivers” with “coaching, mentorship, and development.”