Racially-Exclusionary Mentorship Program At Mitchell Hamline Law School Challenged By Equal Protection Project

Racially-Exclusionary Mentorship Program At Mitchell Hamline Law School Challenged By Equal Protection Project

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. In our latest action, we have filed a Civil Rights Complaint (full embed at bottom of post) with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, against Mitchell Hamline School of Law (St. Paul, MN) regarding a race-based mentorship program open only to black students.

From the Complaint:

We bring this civil rights complaint against the Mitchell Hamline School of Law (“Hamline Law”) for supporting and hosting on its campus a racially-discriminatory mentorship program for aspiring lawyers entitled the MABL Law School Pathways program.1

1 See https://www.pathways-mabl.org/ [https://archive.is/HB6vz ] (accessed on July 28, 2024). It appears that MABL stands for the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers. That organization’s website contains references and hyperlinks to the MABL Law School Pathways Program website. See www.MABL.org [https://archive.is/JyRaS] (accessed on July 28, 2024).

As detailed and documented below, only “Black Minnesota students” are allowed to participate in this program. Applicants who do not meet the race-based criteria are ineligible. The meetings take place at and are promoted by Hamline Law, with Hamline Law staff involvement.
Because the program discriminates based on race and skin color, it violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VI”) and its implementing regulations….

Under the MABL Law School Pathways program (“MABL Program”), “[t]en to twenty juniors, seniors, and alums of Minnesota universities and colleges are selected each year as ‘MABL Pathways Scholars.’ Upon admittance to the Program, the MABL Pathways Scholars participate in boot camp-type pre-law school programming.”2 The program’s mission is “to empower Black students in Minnesota to succeed in law school and the legal profession.”3 [image omitted]

As the screenshot below of the MABL website indicates, the program offers LSAT preparation, academic mentoring at both the undergraduate and law school levels, and post-law school career counseling for students who are selected to participate in the program.4 [image omitted]

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Mitchell Hamline School Of Law’s Involvement In The MABL Program

A search of the Hamline Law website reveals that there are regularly scheduled MABL events at the law school in Classroom 319, with Lynnette Fraction – the executive assistant to the president and dean of Hamline Law9 – listed as the staff contact person.10 [image omitted]

This calendar of on-campus MABL events – indeed, MABL holds programs on Hamline Law’s campus three days per week – states that these events are “hosted by DEI and Rick Petry.”11 Notably, Rick Petry, who is listed on the MABL website as its program director,12 is also listed on Hamline Law’s website as the law school’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, an “Adjunct/Affiliated Professor” and the assistant director of career and professional development.13

Given that MABL’s programs and classes are venued on Hamline Law’s campus and that its host and points of contact are members of the law school’s staff and faculty, it appears – and would appear to students – that Hamline Law is actively participating with MABL and using its campus facilities to engage in illegal discrimination.

The absence of an address and phone number on the MABL website reinforces the role of Hamline Law in communicating institutional approval and support for MABL.

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Accordingly, we respectfully ask the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to impose remedial relief as the law permits for the benefit of those who have been illegally excluded from the MABL Program at Hamline based on racially discriminatory criteria, and to ensure that all ongoing and future programming sponsored or hosted by that school comport with federal civil rights laws.

Apparently Mitchell Hamline’s defense is that it only “hosted” the program, it doesn’t run it. Hosting a series of segregated educational events in itself would be a violation of law, but as detailed in the Complaint, Mitchell Hamline’s involvement went beyond mere hosting.

Local Fox News 9 covered the story:

The Equal Protection Project has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Mitchell Hamline School of Law for hosting on its campus what it describes as a “racially-discriminatory mentorship program” for aspiring lawyers.

The Equal Protection Project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation is a nonprofit that says it “seeks to ensure equal protection under the law and non-discrimination by the government, that opposes racial discrimination in any form.”

According to its site, the Equal Protection Project is “devoted to the fair treatment of all persons without regard to race or ethnicity,” saying its, “guiding principle is that there is no ‘good’ form of racism.”

The complaint alleges that the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers (MABL) held the “MABL Law School Pathways program” on its campus, in which only “Black Minnesota students” are allowed to participate.

Applicants who do not meet the race-based criteria are ineligible, the lawsuit alleges.

The program discriminates based on race and skin color, it says, and as a result, violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964….

According to its site, the program’s mission is said to, “Empower Black students in Minnesota to succeed in law school and the legal profession.” It offers LSAT preparation, academic mentoring at both the undergraduate and law school levels, and post-law school career counseling for students who are selected to participate.

When reached for comment, a Mitchell Hamline School of Law spokesperson said they had no comment on the complaint.

FOX 9 has also reached out to MABL for comment, but has not heard back yet.

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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