The Legal Insurrection Foundation's Equal Protection Project filed the complaint after it learned the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was seeking "a person of African descent" for a black filmmakers project.
The program advertising a “Black Public Media Residency” is illegal and discriminatory under Title VI because of its race-based requirement, the Foundation alleges in its letter to the Department of Education.
Michael Austin, of Project 21, suspects there are other examples that probably go unnoticed by the public, too.
“And people in universities may not speak out,” he says, “because they're afraid of attack [and] retaliation."
Because other universities are likely violating federal laws, too, Austin points out that anyone who learns of that practice can file a complaint.
