Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Sued Over ‘Racially Discriminatory’ Scholarship Offered Only To Black Students

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is facing a federal lawsuit over a scholarship it offers exclusively to black students, arguing that the program illegally discriminates based on race. Each year, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation offers its CBC Spouses Education Scholarship, ranging from $2,500 to $20,000, to 300 applicants. The program is only offered to black students in districts represented by members of the influential voting bloc in Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus. The caucus is made up of black Democrats – none of the five black Republicans in Congress belong.The CBC Foundation is an independent group founded by CBC members 50 years ago, but it maintains a close relationship with the CBC whose members dominate its board. Now, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, AAER, argues that the CBC Foundation illegally discriminates based on race.“Awarding educational opportunities to some young constituents but not others – based on the color of their skin – is neither conscientious nor legal,” the lawsuit reads.The organization notes that the CBC Foundation’s promotional materials “state plainly that non-black applicants are ineligible.”“The Foundation has administered the program in this racially discriminatory manner every year since 1988, awarding over $11 million to date exclusively to black recipients,” it added.The lawsuit from the AAER — founded by Edward Blum, who spearheaded the lawsuits that led to the Supreme Court banning racial preferences in college admissions – also challenges the program’s requirement that applicants live in or attend school in a district represented by the CBC.“Because CBC membership is restricted to black members of Congress, this geographic criterion operates as an additional racial proxy, further excluding non-black students from eligibility,” the AAER said.The complaint asks a judge to prevent the CBC Foundation from considering race.In a statement, Mr. Blum said, “Racial discrimination is wrong no matter which group it favors or harms. A scholarship program that tells students they are ineligible because of their race, and the race of their representatives, violates one of our nation’s oldest civil rights laws.”Edward Blum in Washington in 2014. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta“Members of Congress represent constituents of all races. So, all qualified students, regardless of their race, deserve the same opportunity to compete for this scholarship. It is to be hoped this lawsuit will ensure that outcome,” he added.The CBC Foundation said it does not comment on pending litigation. But the president of the foundation, Nicole Austin-Hillery, told USA Today that the organization was “founded to help open doors to educational opportunities and training for the next generation of leaders, to provide research, and to offer public education on emerging policy issues.”“CBCF remains committed to these goals and to providing opportunity for all who can benefit from our work and programs,” she said.

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Sued Over ‘Racially Discriminatory’ Scholarship Offered Only To Black Students

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