Group behind Affirmative Action Cases Sues Fearless Fund—This Is Our Response

Chelsea Burwell-Brooks
HBCUvc
Published in
2 min readAug 16, 2023

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Fearless Fund Founders (l-r) Ayana Parsons and Arian Simone | Photo Credit: Fearless Fund

As you may know, Fearless Fund — one of venture capital’s most promising firms founded by and for Black women — is at the center of a lawsuit led by a staunch conservative activist group. This vehement attack on Fearless Fund, its critical work, and its founders Arian Simone and Ayana Parsons affects an entire network of overlooked entrepreneurs, and more dangerously, the effort to dismantle barriers in the way of their economic freedom.

Fearless Fund has been a supportive partner of HBCUvc, by hosting our HBCU students in a paid internship. Their work goes beyond funding Black women, but also creating career opportunities for HBCU students through our partnership. For HBCUvc whose mission is to increase capital and opportunities for future Black investors, this unprecedented moment both invigorates our work and reminds us of how necessary it is to support our partners.

With a matched fervency and commitment to rectify historical and systemic disparities against Black and historically excluded communities, HBCUvc is proud to stand by Fearless Fund. In an industry where traditional funding avenues often overlook or undervalue the potential of Black female-led startups, it is firms like Fearless Fund who unapologetically transform the ecosystem, inspire waves of Black women entrepreneurs, and fuel growth for dozens of businesses.

Now is a critical time to rally support behind Fearless Fund — here’s how you can make a difference:

  1. Spread Awareness: Share Fearless Fund’s story on social media, using the power of your voice to shed light on their fight against discrimination.
  2. Donate: Contribute to their legal defense fund to ensure they have the resources necessary to navigate this challenge.
  3. Attend Summit: Join the two-day Fearless Venture Capital Summit 2023 where you can connect and network with hundreds in the world of entrepreneurship and venture capital in Atlanta, GA.

In solidarity,

Hadiyah Mujhid
Founder and CEO

Chelsea Roberts
Chief Operations Officer

Yolanda Stephens
Director of Programs

Cynthia Lopez Dixon
Chief Administrative Officer

Chelsea Burwell
Communications Manager

Kiley Williams
Programs Associate

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During the working hours of the week, I’m the communications manager for HBCUvc. Beyond that, I’m a proud Black mama with a deep love of food, music and travel.