The Equal Protection Project (EPP) (EqualProtect.org) of the Legal Insurrection Foundation has challenged numerous racially discriminatory programs done in the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This discrimination comes in various ways, but the overarching theme is to exclude or diminish some people and promote others, based on race, color, or ethnicity. We have filed over thirty complaints and legal actions since launch in February 2023, with over half the schools withdrawing or modifying the discriminatory programs. (See EPP Mid-2024 Impact Reports.)Almost all of our actions have addressed discrimination in higher education, but we have filed some as to K-12. In our latest action, we have filed a Civil Rights Complaint with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, against the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) regarding the exclusion of white students from annual Students of Color United (SOCU) Summits.We previously wrote about ICSD’s discriminatory practices:
Subsequent to those posts, we obtained records from ICSD regarding the Students of Color pursuant to a New York Freedom of Information Law request. (ICSD’s withholding of documents and excessive redaction may require court action.)The documents produced were shocking and led us to file the Civil Rights Complaint, which provides in part:
INTRODUCTIONIn 2023, after a complaint regarding exclusion of white students from another ICSD affinity event, ICSD made the following representations1 to OCR:
“The District informed OCR that the affinity groups listed on the announcement and scheduled for February 8, 2023, did not take place. The District further informed OCR that all of the District’s programming is open to all participants regardless of race and there are no affinity groups or other programs that are exclusionary based on race. OCR confirmed that the announcement listing the affinity groups no longer exists on the District’s website.” [emphasis added]
On May 28, 2024, in response to an EPP letter2 to ICSD regarding exclusion of white students from the upcoming 2024 SOCU Summit, ICSD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Luvelle Brown stated at a public Board of Education meeting:
“No program in this school district excludes young people based on ethnicity or any other reason…. I’ve said publicly, we do not exclude anybody …. we want everybody else to know that they can come too. So no, we do not exclude based on identity or race. It’s open to everyone.”3
In a May 30, 2024, mass email to the school community, ICSD wrote:
“Please know that SOCU is open to all of our secondary students. We apologize for any previous communication that included exclusionary language about the event. Anyone who wishes to attend on Friday is welcome!”
In fact, as set forth below, for at least four years, from 2021-2024, ICSD systematically excluded white students from SOCU Summits with the knowledge and the participation of dozens of teachers and administrators, knowledge of the Board of Education, and despite multiple complaints about the racially discriminatory practices from members of the community. The Frequently Asked Questions section of the official SOCU Summit website even included an explanation as to “Why aren’t white students invited?” and required that registering students “acknowledge that this is a Student of Color ONLY event.” The discrimination was not a mere “communication” problem, it reflected systemic discrimination against white students as to SOCU Summits. It is hard to imagine more open, prolonged, and intentional racial discrimination, despite ICSD’s denials.
EPP asks OCR to open an investigation and to take remedial measures regarding (1) the systemic racial discrimination at ICSD against white students regarding SOCU Summits during 2021-2024, and (2) whether ICSD made material misrepresentations to OCR in 2023 when, according to OCR, ICSD represented “that all of the District’s programming is open to all participants regardless of race and there are no affinity groups or other programs that are exclusionary based on race,” while at the very same time ICSD was excluding white students from SOCU Summits.
We then went through some of the evidenc gathered so far, including promotional posters, mass internal emails to staff and students, and other documents showing that ICSD at the highest levels, including the Board of Education, was aware of the practices and at least two complaints regarding the discrimination.
ICSD was not shy about discrimination at the time. The Frequently Asked Question section of the official SOCU Summit website explained “Why aren’t white students invited?”
And the student registration form required registrants to acknowledge that the even was open only to students of color.
Students of color, and only students of color, were excused from class to go to the event.
Read the entire Complaint for a lot more evidence and information.
Fox News digital [archive] has run the story, including a prime spot on the home page (as of this writing).
An anti-affirmative action group filed a civil rights complaint against a New York state school district, accusing it of systematically excluding White students for an event for “students of color.” …The complaint, which has been obtained by Fox News Digital and can be seen here, accused ICSD of systematically excluding White students from SOCU Summits “with the knowledge and the participation of dozens of teachers and administrators, knowledge of the Board of Education, and despite multiple complaints about the racially discriminatory practices from members of the community” over a 4-year period from 2021-2024.”The Frequently Asked Questions section of the official SOCU Summit website even included an explanation as to ‘Why aren’t White students invited?’ and required that registering students ‘acknowledge that this is a Student of Color ONLY event,’” the complaint said.”The discrimination was not a mere ‘communication’ problem, it reflected systemic discrimination against White students as to SOCU Summits,” the complaint continued. “It is hard to imagine more open, prolonged, and intentional racial discrimination, despite ICSD’s denials.”The EPP asked the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to open an investigation and to take remedial measures regarding the “systemic racial discrimination at ICSD against White students regarding SOCU Summits during 2021-2024” and “whether ICSD made material misrepresentations to OCR in 2023” when the ICSD said the District’s programming is open to all participants regardless of race while simultaneously “excluding” White students.”Promotional materials for SOCU summits, and post-event postings on social media make clear that the events were racially exclusionary, and open only to students of color,” the complaint said.The complaint included various emails and screenshots of ICSD noting the events were for non-White students. Among the examples is an email sent from a Summit organizer who complained “we are being forced to include White students due to a complaint that we are engaging in segregation” that was sent after the school board apologized for using “exclusionary language.”Cornell Law School professor and Legal Insurrection Foundation president William A. Jacobson, who founded the Equal Protection Project, said proof that White students were excluded is overwhelming and complaints that White students were eventually allowed is “evidence that White students were systematically excluded in prior years.””The 4-year-long open discrimination against White students for ‘Students of Color’ summits in the Ithaca City School District is shocking because it was so brazen and had the support of dozens of teachers, administrators, and even the Board of Education. This was not a student group or individual staff member gone rogue, this was an entire school district gone rogue, ignoring clear federal, state, and local nondiscrimination laws,” Jacobson told Fox News Digital.”When members of the community complained about the discrimination, their legitimate concerns about unlawful conduct were brushed aside. The Board of Education was aware of the problem and helped try to sweep it away,” Jacobson added. “This raises serious concerns as to whether ICSD has the type of internal supervision needed to achieve compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.”Jacobson feels the OCR should consider appointing a civil rights monitor for ICSD, because the district “cannot be trusted to self-supervise when it comes to discrimination and its promises to stop discriminating cannot be relied upon.” ….
EPP is in a major expansion mode, and we expect to broaden our challenges to racially discriminatory programs. But we need your help. We are a small organization going up against powerful and wealthy government and private institutions devoted to DEI discrimination. Donations are greatly needed and appreciated.
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