Program excludes non-black applicants in violation of federal law, complaint alleges
Santa Clara University operates an illegal program that excludes people on the basis of race, according to a new federal civil rights complaint.
The “Black Corporate Board Readiness” program aims to “to prepare Black executives for the unique challenges of board service,” according to its website.
It is a “for us, by us” “initiative” according to the Jesuit Catholic university in California. The term refers to black individuals creating opportunities just for other black people, as in the clothing brand FUBU – “For us, by us.”
It also violates the law, according to the Legal Insurrection Foundation’s Equal Protection Project. The civil rights group shared a copy of the complaint with The College Fix.
The program “explicitly discriminates on the basis of race by offering training only to black individuals,” according to the Equal Protection Project’s complaint to the Department of Education. These parameters violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The complaint cites the website, which states:
The BCBR program is open to Black executives who have gained extensive senior leadership experience or an equivalent span of control, including as a CEO or general manager. From among qualified Black executives nationwide who apply, up to 35 participants are selected per BCBR cohort.
“We invite proven Black leaders to apply to a future cohort,” the website also states.
Complaint filer William Jacobson, the president of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, provided further comments to The Fix via a media statement.
“It’s hard to understand how SCU allowed this program,” Jacobson, a Cornell University law professor, stated. “Where were the administrators whose job it is to fight racial discrimination?
“The harm from racial educational barriers is that it racializes not just the specific program, but the entire campus,” the civil rights activist stated. “Sending a message to campus that access to opportunities is dependent on race is damaging to the fabric of society.”
Jacobson’s group has previously flagged questionable program at University of Illinois and Indiana University among other places.
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