A University of Colorado graduate program for “Black women” is being challenged in a civil rights complaint filed with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights. The complaint says the program violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The “Boulder Black Blossoms” program at the University of Colorado at Boulder “aims to support the lived and individual experiences and achievements of Black women.” Participants in “Boulder Black Blossoms” receive a $1,000 stipend. University officials set up the program in September 2024.
On one part of the program’s web site, it suggests that anyone can participate in the program regardless of race or sex, but other parts of the web site suggest otherwise.
Retired economics professor Perry says that in practice, the program excludes male students and discriminates based on race.
Perry, a senior fellow at the anti-woke nonprofit Do No Harm, filed the complaint after The College Fix asked for comment on the program.
“This is clearly a racially segregated program for Black female students that also excludes and discriminates against male students,” Perry says. He describes the university’s claim that the program is open to students of all races and genders “legal fig leaves.”
A federal appeals court struck down a scholarship for black students at the University of Maryland in 1994, finding it was racially discriminatory, in a case called Podberesky v. Kirwan.
As The College Fix reports,
Perry filed a complaint against the university with the Office for Civil Rights’ Denver office on Saturday, June 12….Specifically, Perry argues that the name of the program alone is cause for concern because it emphasizes a group of people based solely on their race. The rest of the website includes references to the program’s aims, such as “uplifting Black women,” to “support the advancement of Black women,” and “[t]o create a supportive network that celebrates and empowers Black women.”
The website’s promotional materials only include pictures of black women. Perry notes all sixteen “Blossoms” for 2024-2025, whose pictures are included on the website, are black women.
Perry also points to past descriptions from the university and a statement from university Regent Wanda James confirming his suspicion that the program racially discriminates.
An August 2024 newsletter stated:
Boulder Black Blossoms aims to promote an uplifting, supportive and reflective space [exclusively] for individuals who self-identify as Black (Black culture refers to the diverse range of customs, traditions, beliefs, practices, art forms, languages and social behaviors that have emerged from the experiences and contributions of people of African descent) and [exclusively for] women (different from female, woman is a social construct emphasizes gender over biological sex) and are enrolled in one of CU Boulder’s STEM department or School of Education graduate programs. Participants who complete the program will receive a $1,000 compensation.
Perry added the “exclusively” in brackets.
The survey link to start the application also begins with language making clear the program is only for black women. It describes Boulder Blossoms as “a supportive Sista Circle dedicated to breaking barriers and empowering Black women in STEM.”
