My run-in was along about the same time. I applied at a state park and was hired. Filled out all the paperwork, got settled into a new house, the whole nine yards. The day before I was to start, they called and said I was unhired because HQ in Austin said they had to hire a minority. I am female applying for a male dominated position but that wasn’t diverse enough. It must be a black person. That job number was on the jobs listings for many years without ever being filled. Why? Because no blacks lived in the area.
A short time before that, I applied to work for the post office. I had the highest test score and the post master was required to interview the top 3. He flat out told me he wasn’t hiring me because I was female. Wish I’d not been so naïve back then and had sued his butt off.
Oh lord, the Post Office is affirmative action central. The only federal agency worse than that is OPM.