America First Legal petitions AmeriCorps to remove DEI role

America First Legal (AFL) filed a formal rulemaking petition on Tuesday calling on the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent government agency commonly referred to as “AmeriCorps,” to repeal a Biden-era regulation that created a chief diversity and inclusion officer leadership position.

The petition asks AmeriCorps to abolish the role and restore merit-based leadership, reconnecting the organization with its roots of strengthening communities, preserving natural resources, and fostering civic engagement.

The position argues that the chief diversity and inclusion officer position is geared toward considering the race, gender and ethnicity of the AmeriCorps staff, which has nothing to do with the organization's purpose. 

“The AmeriCorps mission is centered on volunteerism and civic engagement that transcends identitarian divisions. The agency is supposed to connect and serve all Americans, regardless of their race or sex,” Rachael Griffin, counsel at America First Legal, said in a statement.