Last Updated on May 22, 2023
Uber has suspended its top Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer for defending white women against racially-charged insults after employees claimed that being asked not to call white women “Karen” had “triggered” them and caused them “pain”.
Bo Young Lee, Uber’s Asian-American head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been placed on leave after employees complained that she was supporting white women by twice facilitating a discussion event titled “Don’t Call Me Karen”, in reference to the term that in recent years has become used to negatively describe white women and has been called a new age anti-white racial slur.
The “Don’t Call Me Karen” event was reportedly intended to highlight the “spectrum of the American white woman’s experience” and “triggered” a group of black employees, operating under the banner of “Black at Uber”.
Black at Uber began a pressure campaign to get Uber executives to fire Bo Young Lee, plotting their campaign against her and celebrating her suspension in a Slack messaging group.
Copies of Black at Uber messages were obtained by Richard Hanania, the founder of The Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology. Hanania posted the messages in a Twitter thread, explaining that “Uber has put its chief DEI officer Bo Young Lee on a leave of absence.”
“This was after a DEI session called Moving Forward: Don’t Call Me Karen,” the tweet goes on.
“An employee organization called ‘Black at Uber’ is celebrating [Bo Young Lee’s suspension].”
In the messages posted by Hanania to Twitter, members of the Black at Uber group even attempted to shame Hispanic Uber employees, for not being outraged enough about the “Don’t Call Me Karen” event.
Check out the messages below:
EXCLUSIVE: Uber has put its chief DEI officer Bo Young Lee on a leave of absence after a series of complaints.
This was after a DEI session called Moving Forward: Don't Call Me Karen
An employee organization called "Black at Uber" is celebrating. pic.twitter.com/quInf8FPtg
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) May 21, 2023
Amazingly, the New York Times, which has also reported on the Uber suspension story, has apparently attempted to steal credit for breaking the news from Hanania, as he explained in his Twitter thread.
“I beat them to the story and they even used quotes from my screenshots,” Hanania explained.
“No credit given here. Shame.”
Furthermore, a New York Times reporter claimed in a tweet of his own that he had a “SCOOP” on Uber putting its diversity chief on leave over the “Don’t Call Me Karen” event.
“Here’s a tweet claiming a SCOOP. But I beat it by 7 hours. I’m the one who SCOOPED,” Hanania wrote.
Here’s a tweet claiming a SCOOP. But I beat it by 7 hours. I’m the one who SCOOPED. And I released the info directly to the people, instead of curating it. Because I believe in liberal democracy. https://t.co/OorRLug1Bg
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) May 22, 2023
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