The American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) has filed a federal lawsuit against the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation, alleging that the CBC Spouses Education Scholarship illegally discriminates based on race.
The scholarship program in question is available to African American and Black students who reside or attend school in a congressional district represented by a member of the CBC. According to AAER, the program violates Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which guarantees the equal right to make and enforce contracts without regard to race.
“Racial discrimination is wrong no matter which group it favors or harms,” said Edward Blum, president of AAER. “A scholarship program that tells students they are ineligible because of their race, and the race of their representatives, violates one of our nation’s oldest civil rights laws.”
Blum continued, “Members of Congress represent constituents of all races. So, all qualified students, regardless of their race, deserve the same opportunity to compete for this scholarship. It is to be hoped this lawsuit will ensure that outcome.”
AAER is seeking a declaratory judgement that the scholarship violates Section 1981, an injunction barring the CBC Foundation from considering race in the program’s administration, and an order requiring the CBC Foundation to reopen and rerun the application process under race-neutral criteria.
