On February 14th, 2025, the United States Department of Education released a letter demanding that schools (K-12, colleges and universities) end their diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and race-based initiatives in two weeks or they will be at risk of losing federal funding. The Department of Education was created in 1979 by the Carter Administration; however, the Trump Administration is trying to dismantle the Department of Education. Colleges are being forced to remove race from financial aid, housing, hiring and promotion, and graduation ceremonies. Colleges and Universities are also being tasked to add SAT and ACT requirements for admission, testing requirements were dropped at most school after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The letter put out by the Department of Education suggest that white and Asian students have been discriminated on the basis of race. “Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false promise that the United Stated is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices. Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them— particularly during the last four years— under the banner of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion (‘DEI’), smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline” the letter read.
If schools, colleges, and universities do not comply in 14 days, they will lose federal funding. The memo put out by the Department of Education, says workers or students differently based on race and using nonracial information to figure out a person’s race will be a violation of federal law. The Department of Education stated that they cut $600 million in funding for organizations that train teachers on critical race, DEI practices, and social justice activism. The National Association of Student Financial Aid put out a statement saying they do not think 14 days is enough time for schools, colleges, and universities to assess the memo as well as comply with the demands.
Many Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) receive government funding tied to DEI efforts, losing this could impact the resources they provide for students, such as DEI specific scholarships and or DEI specific support groups. HBCUs were specifically created to provide higher education for Black students, who were initially excluded from other colleges because of racism. It has been these schools’ missions to support minority students as well as those who may come from underserved communities. Without proper resources and funding, many Black students may lose out on the opportunity to attend a college or university that makes it their mission to see, uplift, and care for those students.
