The Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) has challenged over 275 institutions regarding over 800 programs that discriminate in the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 14th Amendment (for public institutions), and often state law. Our latest filing was on May 13, 2026, against the flagship school in the University of Massachusetts system, UMass Amherst.From Civil Rights Complaint filed at the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education:
We bring this civil rights complaint against University of Massachusetts Amherst (“UMass Amherst”), a public institution, regarding its College of Social & Behavioral Sciences Remedying Inequity Through Student Engagement (“SBS RISE”) program which racially discriminates in violation of Title VI. As set forth below, SBS RISE treats students differently based on race, color, and national origin, with non-white students automatically eligible while white students need to show additional qualifications, such as being “first generation” or “low income.” These differing standards are unlawful.The SBS RISE Program provides substantial academic, professional, financial, and networking benefits to participating students. UMass Amherst describes the program as offering “specialized academic programs and opportunities” for students who identify as “first-generation, Black, Indigenous, or other Persons of Color (BIPOC)” and/or low-income.2 Through SBS RISE, the University provides participants with workshops, mentoring, leadership development, internship opportunities, research opportunities, financial support, and access to exclusive programming and resources. These benefits confer valuable educational advantages on students selected for participation in the program.
Link: https://sbspathways.umass.edu/channels/sbs-rise/#uc_people_widget-15Archived Link: https://archive.is/wip/He00q (accessed May 11, 2026).Discriminatory Requirement: “The program serves SBS undergraduate students who identify as first-generation, students of color, and/or come from low income backgrounds.”
SBS RISE also hosts workshops and programming related to scholarships, graduate school preparation, leadership, research, study abroad, civic engagement, and internships. In addition, the program provides social and networking opportunities intended to foster community among participants. UMass identifies the following as the four primary initiatives of the SBS RISE program:
We then detail each of the four main initiatives and demonstrate how each discriminates. And as in all our Civil Rights Complaints, we have a detailed description of the applicable law and request an investigation.
WWLP-22News in Springfield, MA, covered the filing and interviewed me:
The Equal Protection Project, a nonprofit organization, has filed a civil rights complaint against UMass Amherst.The complaint was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, alleging racial discrimination within the university’s “SBS RISE” program.The “SBS RISE” program, part of the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, is accused of violating Title VI due to its acceptance criteria. The program’s eligibility is for students who identify as first-generation, Black, Indigenous or other persons of color, or low-income.The Equal Protection Project operates within the Legal Insurrection Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to racial equality. William Jacobson, founder and president of the Equal Protection Project, stated the organization’s goal is to eliminate discrimination in the program, not to end the program itself.Jacobson explained the program’s alleged discriminatory criteria. “If you are a white student, then you need to show that you are either low-income or first-generation,” Jacobson said, “but if you are a non-white student, you don’t need to show any of those, you are automatically eligible.”The SBS RISE program offers students academic, professional, financial and networking benefits. The Equal Protection Project believes the acceptance criteria for these benefits violate several laws.“We believe that that’s a violation of Title VI, the Civil Rights Act,” Jacobson stated. “Because this is a public university, this is a violation of the 14th Amendment. It’s a violation of Massachusetts state law and it is even a violation of UMass Amherst’s own rules which do not permit discrimination.”Emily Gest, a spokesperson for UMass Amherst, issued a statement regarding the complaint. “The university has not been served with a complaint nor notified of an investigation regarding this matter and will continue to comply with all state and federal laws.”The complaint is now with the U.S. Department of Education, which will determine whether to pursue an investigation.
The Springfield Republican, part of the MassLive system, also covered the story:
A Rhode Island conservative group is pressing for white access to a UMass Amherst program for minority students….“(Black, Indigenous and people of color) students are categorically eligible for the program, while non-BIPOC students must satisfy additional requirements to participate,” says the federal complaint, filed by the Equal Protection Project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation. Wording used by the UMass program is “intended for certain racial groups,” and those who do not fit the criteria are “either excluded from participation or would be deterred from applying,” the complaint said.William A. Jacobson, founder and president of the Rhode Island organization, said the complaint isn’t seeking to end the program, only to end the alleged discrimination.“We hope the program would continue, and we want the students to have access to it, but the color of their skin should not be a factor in whether they are eligible for this program,” said Jacobson.“If you are a student of color, which is the term they use, you’re automatically eligible. Similarly, if you’re first generation or come from a low-income background, you’re automatically eligible,” he said.White students, he said, need to prove they are first-generation or low-income to be eligible for the program. “Because that imposes an extra hurdle on students because of their race or color, we believe it’s a violation of the Civil Rights Act,” he said.Jacobson said the organization has pursued other similar cases against universities and states before.It is currently suing the state of New York, alleging that a statewide program for students interested in science and technology careers, called STEP, is discriminatory because it helps only Black, Hispanic and Native American students, but Asian and white students are not eligible.The New York case recently survived a motion to dismiss, he said. “The judge adopted in his decision denying the motion to dismiss, our view of the law, which is that presenting an extra hurdle to a student based upon race is unlawful,” he said.Jacobson estimated his organization has successfully argued about 175 such cases.The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will notify the university about the administrative complaint, though it is hard to predict how long the process will take, Jacobson said.The university can remedy this complaint by removing the discriminatory wording from its website and allowing all students to enter the program, he said.“Most of the schools we file against recognize they don’t really have a legal leg to stand on, so they change the program,” he said. “We hope UMass Amherst will do the same thing.”
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.
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