University of Alabama Discriminatory Scholarship Challenged by Equal Protection Project
“That a racially discriminatory scholarship exists at a major public university in a deeply ‘red’ state is surprising. It is time for higher education everywhere to focus on the inherent worth and dignity of every student rather than categorizing students based on identity groups.”
So far in 2025, our Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) has filed 17 cases with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education, including a case filed on April 25, 2025, against the University of Alabama (UA). Since its launch in February 2023, EPP has filed complaints against almost 100 colleges and universities, challenging over 300 discriminatory programs and scholarships. As before, the media coverage of our cases is staggering, we reach many millions of people. This year is turning out to be even better than our incredible 2024 year (see LIF’s 2024 Annual Report).
From the Civil Rights Complaint against UA:
We bring this civil rights complaint against the University of Alabama (“UA”), a public institution, for offering, administering, and promoting a scholarship that discriminates based on race, color, and/or national origin.
UA has a general scholarship application that allows students to be automatically considered for scholarships for which they are eligible.2 UA lists its scholarships on the Alabama Scholarship Award Manager (“ASAM”). This platform contains a comprehensive list of all UA scholarships.3 [images omitted]
The scholarship listed below is currently offered to UA students and applicants for admission, according to the UA website, and violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VI”) and its implementing regulations4 by discriminating against students based on their race, color, and/or national origin. Because UA is a public university, this discriminatory scholarship also violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Norton-Textra Endowed Scholarship for Minority Students in English5
Discriminatory Requirement: “Scholarships from this fund are awarded to full-time African-American students pursuing degrees in English in the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Application Deadline: May 25, 2025
Link: https://ua.academicworks.com/opportunities/14291
Archived Link: https://archive.is/Ha6e6
As we always do, we then spend several pages explaining why a racially exclusionary scholarship violated not only federal and state law, but also the university’s own non-discrimination rules. We then request that a formal investigation be opened.
The Daily Caller was the first to cover the filing:
“That a racially discriminatory scholarship exists at a major public university in a deeply ‘red’ state is surprising,” EPP founder William A. Jacobson told the DCNF. “It is time for higher education everywhere to focus on the inherent worth and dignity of every student rather than categorizing students based on identity groups.” ….
“Here, the race- and national origin-based eligibility criteria are mechanically applied,” the complaint states. “If applicants do not meet the racial and ethnic requirements, they are automatically disqualified from eligibility for the scholarship, respectively.”
“Because UA’s racial and/or ethnicity-based requirements for this scholarship is presumptively invalid, and since there is no compelling government justification for such invidious discrimination, its use of such criteria violates state and federal civil rights statutes and constitutional equal protection guarantees,” the complaint continues.
EPP alleges the scholarship violates both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The group has filed “almost 100 cases challenging over 300 discriminatory scholarships and programs,” according to Jacobson.
“The Equal Protection Project calls on the senior administration of UA to make sure nondiscrimination standards are upheld throughout the institution,” Jacobson said.
,
AL.com, run by the Alabama Media Group that owns several major newspapers in the state, also covered the story:
A national organization has filed a civil rights complaint against the University of Alabama, saying a scholarship for Black students is discriminatory.
The Equal Protection Project, a national organization that opposes race-based affirmative action, said the university should not require applicants for an English scholarship be a certain race or ethnicity.
“Regardless of UA’s reasons for offering, promoting, and administering such a discriminatory scholarship, UA is violating Title VI by doing so,” The Equal Protection Project wrote in its complaint. “It does not matter if the recipient of federal funding discriminates in order to advance a benign ‘intention” or “motivation.’” ….
The university and other Alabama colleges already have been under scrutiny over diversity practices.
The Trump administration is investigating the University of Alabama at Birmingham over “race-based scholarships.”
Schools around Alabama closed DEI offices and programs for specific groups in 2024 in response to a state law that said state-funded organizations could not promote “divisive concepts.”
Alabama ABC News affiliate WDHN also provided coverage:
Additional coverage provided by 1819 News, Black Enterprise, and University Herald.
Reminder: 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.
=======================
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Not sure why this is at all surprising. Most Univ in the South have some sort of similar scholarships. Remember that Univ have long been run by folks eager to be perceived as enlightened and/or a group apart from and for some ‘better than’ the reminder of the population. Then consider the political control of the d/prog which endured in Alabama until a couple decades ago. Alabama has only been a solidly ‘red’ State in the 21st century, d/prog had control through the ’90s then it got much more consistently competitive then finally the GoP got legislative majority and captured Statewide offices. These sorts of scholarships predate that and IMO were left alone like a sleeping dog. The d/prog in Alabama would seize on attempts to revoke these race based scholarships as ‘evidence’ of discrimination and racial animus towards ‘blacks’. In some ways they would be correct as all sorts of mandatory race based set asides, quotas were implemented to create the ‘New South’. Just last year SCOTUS used similar logic in ordering creation of a 2nd ‘majority minority’ CD based on race. The images and history of the civil rights era protests and the draconian push pack against them are if not raw still bandaged. IMO it comes down to nobody wanting to rip off the bandage of race relations by revoking these sorts of race exclusive scholarships. Not trying to excuse it, just explain why they still exist.
The best thing would be to cast aside ALL the provisions/programs that use race as a factor. Including drawing of legislative/Congressional Districts which reinforce the notion that ‘race’ must be a prime consideration b/c until that goes away its existence provides fuel to the fire of race based discrimination in other areas of life.
now you know why the aoc stacy abrams etc etc can gt 70million+ votes
white guilt!!
To an extent that’s true. Far more so from Boomers and Silent Generation. Younger Generations don’t really have any living memory and certainly gained no personal benefit from segregation era policies. Gen X, my gen, grew up with integrated schools, integrated little league and a plethora of programs put in place by well meaning (but probably guilt ridden) folks to assist/advance ‘blacks’. Probably needed to reserve some of the impacts and as a way to keep a lid on racial strife in the aftermath. It pretty well worked and the ‘New South’ has far less racial tension than other parts of.the Nation who didn’t deal with these issues head on and seek resolution. Gen X and younger as a consequence of this don’t feel any ‘guilt’ or need to atone for things we didn’t do and didn’t profit from.