Fox News notes that Missouri State University is facing a lawsuit for discrimination.
But this time, it’s on behalf white people.
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The school’s “business boot camp” apparently closed off small business training sessions to people of color or females only.
Interestingly enough, plaintiffs are invoking the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX, which was created to grant women equal access in sports and education, as the foundations for their lawsuit. They say their civil rights were violated in direct defiance of those acts.
The group suing on behalf of students who felt discriminated against is an interesting one. The Equal Protection Project has funding in the millions and aims to advocate for white people who feel that they’ve been victims of discrimination.
However, the university created the program with people of color specifically in mind.
It’s a program for “aspiring or current BIPOC and/or women small business owners who have recently started or are in the idea phase.”
So none of these white students were actually part of the program. The basis of the lawsuit is that this program as a whole shouldn’t exist.
Lawsuits are tougher to win when there aren’t really specific victims singled out.
But, there is a catch. Participants benefitted financially from the program.
Each student was given a nice $3,000 stipend for child care, transportation, or whatever other expense they’d like to use that cash for.
That may create the hook for the lawsuit. Plaintiffs were denied an economic benefit because of their race.
You can put it in the same category of a company refusing to hire a black person. The person was never part of the company to begin with, but they’d have a good shot at winning the lawsuit for being denied economic security based on their race alone.
This specific instance is more of a stretch, sure, but all is fair in the name of law.
The university spoke to Fox News to let them know they’d be changing their ways. “The Spring 2023 program was funded by the U.S. Bank Foundation and, on a one-time basis, focused on minority and/or woman-owned businesses. On an ongoing basis, we will continue to offer the Early-Stage Business Boot Camp Program at no cost to the participants, and irrespective of their race and/or sex.”
Smart play to avoid a lawsuit.
The EPP responded saying there’s still more to be done. “Missouri State also needs to state whether there are any other segregated or discriminatory programs, what investigation it has done to identify such programs, and what specific steps it will take to prevent such misconduct. It’s not enough, when caught, to say ‘oops, sorry.’ Sunlight needs to shine on the nature of DEI activities at Missouri State, and how such a blatantly discriminatory program was allowed to happen in the first place.”
Doesn’t sound like the school’s capitulation will be stopping the lawsuit from moving forward.
Expect this to become a big cultural issue in the future.
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