Under Trump administration, efforts to address deep-rooted inequities for students of color are being cast as discriminatory against white students. Civil rights lawyers describe the Republican administration's actions as an inversion of legal history. The federal government long enforced civil rights laws with an eye toward remedying historic, systemic discrimination against Black people and other people of color. Programs that withstood legal scrutiny are now quick to be deemed "illegal" examples of diversity, equity and inclusion by the White House. Schools that fail to comply have faced threats to their funding and in some cases have lost federal grants.
The head of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has urged white men to report workplace discrimination based on race or sex. Andrea Lucas, a critic of DEI initiatives, posted on social media Wednesday, encouraging affected individuals to contact the agency. Her post followed Vice President JD Vance's criticism of DEI. Critics argue Lucas misunderstands DEI, which aims to create fairness for all, including white men. Former EEOC Chair Jenny Yang calls Lucas' focus on white men "problematic." Lucas has prioritized addressing DEI-related discrimination since becoming acting chair in January.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is challenging a new California law designed to protect Jewish students from discrimination. The federal complaint filed Sunday argues the law is unconstitutionally vague and violates free speech rights. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the legislation last month, creating an Office of Civil Rights to help schools identify and prevent antisemitism. The law doesn't define antisemitism, leading to concerns that educators might face charges for presenting materials critical of Israel. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of individual teachers and students in California public schools, and the Los Angeles Educators for Justice in Palestine.
