For generations, the federal government enforced civil rights laws with an eye toward remedying historic, systemic discrimination against Black people and other people of color. The Justice Department pressed schools to desegregate. The Education Department worked to promote equal opportunity and held schools accountable for racial bias.
But under the Trump administration, efforts to address deep-rooted inequities for students of color are being cast as discriminatory against white students. Programs that have long withstood legal scrutiny are now quick to be deemed 鈥 illegal DEI 鈥濃攄iversity, equity and inclusion鈥攂y the White House. Schools that do not comply have faced threats to their funding, and in some cases, lost federal grants.
