Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 14, 2024

Uber Puts Its Diversity Head On Leave Over 'Don't Call Me Karen' Events

Uber Puts Its Diversity Head On Leave Over 'Don't Call Me Karen' Events

Uber's head of diversity, equity, and inclusion has been put on administrative leave after complaints from black and Hispanic workers regarding workplace events.
Uber Technologies, the technology platform for transport, has placed its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) chief Bo Young Lee on leave following complaints from employees that her employee event, "Don't Call Me Karen," was offensive to persons of colour, according to The New York Times.

Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber's CEO, and Nikki Krishnamurthy, chief people officer, last week asked Bo Young Lee, head of diversity, "to step back and take a leave of absence while we determine next steps," according to an email from Mr Krishnamurthy to some employees that was viewed by The New York Times.

"We have heard that many of you are in pain and upset by yesterday's Moving Forward session," the email said. "While it was meant to be a dialogue, it's obvious that those who attended did not feel heard."

The news outlet further wrote that the employees' concerns centered on a pair of events-one last month and another Wednesday-that were billed as "diving into the spectrum of the American white woman's experience" and hearing from white women who work at Uber, with a focus on "the 'Karen' persona."

They were intended to be an "open and honest conversation about race," according to the invitation. But workers instead felt that they were being lectured on the difficulties experienced by white women, why "Karen" was a derogatory term, and that Lee was dismissive of their concerns, according to messages sent on Slack, a workplace messaging tool, that were viewed by the Times.

According to the CBS News, the word "Karen" gained traction after a white woman in New York, Amy Cooper, was dubbed "Central Park Karen" for calling the police on a black man who was bird-watching in the park, falsely accusing him of threatening her life when he asked her to leash her dog in compliance with local laws.

Cooper was subsequently fired from her job at the investment management company Franklin Templeton, with her former employer saying at the time that it did not "tolerate racism of any kind."

Other names, including Ken, Chad, and Steve, have also been used to refer to white men who are perceived as behaving in a privileged, racist manner.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Royal Navy's First 'Narco-Sub' Drug Seizure in the Caribbean
Northern Lights Illuminate Skies Over the UK
Citizens' Jury Supports Change in Assisted Dying Law
Russia Can End the War Now, Says PM as Putin Warns West
SpaceX Polaris Dawn Crew Makes History With First Private Spacewalk
Jon Bon Jovi Heroically Rescues Woman on Nashville Bridge
Fragmented EU Defence Industry Needs Urgent Coordination
Keir Starmer Accused of Concealing Impact of Winter Fuel Payment Cuts on Pensioners
Keir Starmer Urged to Publish Winter Fuel Payments Impact Assessment
Ex-CIA Officer Sentenced to 10 Years for Espionage
UK Economy Stalls for Second Consecutive Month
Downing Street to Begin Search for New Cabinet Secretary
UK Government Introduces Bill to Ban Rental Bidding Wars
Scottish Opposition Questions Cuts to Free School Meals and Rail Fares
NHS Delays in England Cause Thousands of Unnecessary Deaths, Inquiry Reveals
NHS Restricts Obesity Services across England, Investigates BMJ
Bill Gates Warns of Imminent Threats: War and Pandemics
Over One Million UK Carers Living in Poverty
Equitable Future Threatened by Climate Crisis and Consumerism
Calls for Inclusive and Diverse Stories in UK English Curriculum
UK Government Confirms £500m Subsidy for Tata Steel
Chancellor Rachel Reeves Warns of Tough Budget Ahead
Unions Fear Labour's Net Zero Plans Will Cost Jobs
PM to Address Critical NHS Report Demanding Reforms
Kamala Harris Wins Post-Debate Survey Against Donald Trump
Impact and Aftermath of 9/11 Attacks on the US and the World
Iran Denies Missile Deliveries to Russia Amid New Sanctions
Kamala Harris Claims to Own Guns, Denies Supporting Mandatory Buyback—Yet Said the Opposite Weeks Ago
Outrage in Uxbridge: 12 Police Officers Arrest Woman Over a Sandwich, Then Arrest Bystander for Swearing
Polaris Dawn: Historic Private Spacewalk Initiated
Sir Paul Marshall Acquires The Spectator for £100 Million
Neighbours Criticise Germany Over Extended Border Controls
Mazan Village in Shock Over Mass Rape Trial
Harris Commands Debate Against Trump
Wealthy Nations Criticized for Hypocrisy on Climate Protests
Controversial Netanyahu Documentary Premieres in Toronto
Labour's Winter Fuel Cut Passes Amid Controversy
Germany's New Border Controls: A Threat to EU Unity?
Global Religious Groups Spend Billions to Undermine Gender-Equality Education
Dave Grohl Announces Birth of Baby Girl
Brigitte Macron to Make Cameo in Netflix's Emily in Paris
Olympic Medals Stolen from Australian Rower's Car in Melbourne
Russia Receives Iranian Ballistic Missiles for Use in Ukraine
US and Europe Consider Easing Restrictions on Ukraine's Long-Range Strikes
Brazilian President Visits Amazon Amid Severe Drought and Wildfires
Concerns Raised Over Early Release of Prisoners
Labour Special Advisers Join Union Over Pay Concerns
NHS Trust Admits Contaminated Feed Caused Baby's Death After Decade of Denial
Dubai Conference Cancels Talk by Ex-Children’s Hospital Doctor Under Investigation
Manchester Adopts 'Housing First' to Combat Rough Sleeping
×