Missouri State U ‘Business Boot Camp’ That Excluded White Males Challenged By Equal Protection Project
EPP files complaint with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey: “We urge the attorney general to force MSU to make it right, to stop such conduct in the future, and to provide remedies for those excluded for being white males.”
The Equal Protection Project (EPP)(EqualProtect.org) was launched by the Legal Insurrection Foundation in late February 2023, to address racial discrimination undertaken in the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
You can follow news of the EPP’s efforts at our EPP News Feed. Those efforts have included a continuation of our challenge to the Providence (RI) School Districts new teacher loan forgiveness program open only to non-whites and a blacks-only fellowship at the Albany (NY) Public Library in conjunction with SUNY Albany. The project includes an EPP Attorney Network of over 100 (and growing) attorneys around the country willing to cooperate in these efforts.
Yesterday, EPP files a complaint with the Missouri Office of Attorney General regarding an Early-Stage Business Boot Camp held at Missouri State University open only to “BIPOC” and females. White males were excluded.
Here is our letter to MO Attorney General Andrew Bailey:
The Heartlander news website, based in Missouri, covered the filing and interviewed me:
A business boot camp for women and minorities at Missouri State University that expressly excluded white males violated state and federal laws and constitutions, a national watchdog says.
The Equal Protection Project (EPP) asked in a letter to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey Tuesday night that his office launch an investigation into the alleged violations.
The office is “reviewing the letter,” a spokesperson for Bailey told The Heartlander Wednesday….
EPP’s letter says “it appears that the course is part of broader programing through MSU’s efactory and SBDC that discriminates on the basis of race. For example, those arms of MSU recently partnered with other organizations to provide multiple rounds of $5,000 grants, no-cost business training and free one-on-one assistance to business owners who identified as BIPOC.”
EPP alleges MSU’s blatant “discrimination against white males” violates the Missouri Human Rights Act’s ban on racial and gender discrimination. The organization says MSU also has violated federal civil rights protections, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as well as Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while also violating equal protection guarantees in the Missouri and United States constitutions.
“Race and sex discrimination are wrong, regardless of which race or sex is the target,” William Jacobson, president and founder of the Equal Protection Project, told The Heartlander in a statement. “It is shocking that MSU would think it was acceptable to single out any group by race and sex for exclusion.
“Each individual has the right to equal protection of the laws. The law protects white males just as much as others. The answer to racism or sexism is not more racism or sexism.
“We urge the attorney general to force MSU to make it right, to stop such conduct in the future, and to provide remedies for those excluded for being white males.” ….
Some may wonder what’s the harm to white males or anyone else from the MSU boot camp.
“Well, it’s a state institution using its resources and its facilities to discriminate against white males,” Jacobson told The Heartlander in an interview Wednesday. “That’s unlawful in our view.
“Whenever you have an equal protection problem, where people are not afforded equal protection of the laws, the constitutional harm is the barrier to access. It does not matter (legally) whether someone actually applied for this program and was rejected, because people wouldn’t apply to a program which says you’re not eligible. So, the harm is you have a major state university embracing and advertising discrimination on the basis of race and sex, and limited to one race and one one sex: white males.
“It’s very targeted, and we think that’s extremely pernicious. We think it’s something that the state needs to address.”
What needs to happen?
“Missouri State University needs to make (such boot camps) available, generally speaking, to people who were excluded,” Jacobson says. “And if that means putting on another boot camp or another three boot camps that would remedy the situation, that would probably be best. Because part of the problem is, it’s going to be hard to identify who didn’t apply to this because they were ineligible.
“The proper remedy is to compel them to offer this program again, but open it up to anybody who wants to attend.”
Jacobson said the mistaken belief that an institution must discriminate to make up for historic discrimination is rife on college campuses, thanks in large part to the Ibram X. Kendi book How to Be an Antiracist.
“He advocates current discrimination to remedy past discrimination. That is simply not what the law is. The law has always been that each person is entitled to be treated as an individual, not as a proxy for a group, and you cannot discriminate against individuals based on past history.
“This is a reflection of a problem which has affected higher education and secondary education – which is the concept that you should discriminate now to make up for past discrimination. That is the philosophy that, on campuses, is often referred to as either diversity, equity and inclusion, or anti-racism.
“Missouri State needs to reject the ideology that justifies current racial discrimination as some sort of remedy for past racial discrimination.”
We will continue to update as there are more developments.
[Featured Image: Missouri State eFactory Facebook
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Comments
Ibram X.
Clearly someone who’s influence rose well above his intellect
Good work Professor… as usual
Off topic, but avoiding any assembly described as a boot camp has served me well.
Bill of attainder and corruption of blood are antique concepts that the left has again brought into the forefront by violating both of them.
It defies any sense of logic to ever use reverse racism, or racism against modern people for racism that happened many years ago. Should Germans be punished for the sins of Hitler? Should Japan be banned from trade or security alliances? Every nation on earth has had regrettable moments in its history but most have moved on and become respectable countries. For some reason, the US is the only nation that is having to deal with reparations to people that never suffered and paid for people that never harmed them.
Once again, I need to point out this is why Davey Cicilline is going to head the RI Foundation. To further progressive left ideas and discriminatory programs under the guise of DEI.