The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced an investigation today into possible race discrimination by the City University of New York (CUNY). The Division received reports alleging that CUNY’s Black Male Initiative (BMI) provides educational benefits to minorities, particularly black males, on the basis of race.
“Race can never play a role when deciding how to distribute educational resources or opportunities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Justice Department will not tolerate universities directing educational benefits to certain students over others based on their race.”
CUNY’S BMI is a system-wide program that encompasses recruitment, admissions, student aid, as well as academic support and professional development. The program, as the name suggests, appears to favor select non-white minorities — primarily black males — over applicants of other races.
The Department opened the investigation of CUNY pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. CUNY receives substantial federal financial assistance.
The Civil Rights Division has not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation.
