A leftwing group dedicated to dismantling “structural racism” in finance has raked in millions of dollars in federal grants. But now its federal funding and non-profit status could be in jeopardy, as the group discriminates against white internship applicants in violation of President Donald Trump’s executive order.
The North Carolina-based Croatan Institute touts its allegiance to the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda on its website, promising to tackle “structural racism in finance” even as it imposed race-based selection criteria on its paid internship program. The program appears to violate President Trump’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/">executive order</a> barring DEI policies and discrimination among federal grant recipients.
Now, a legal expert tells The Daily Wire that the program jeopardizes the federal funds currently en route to the organization, as well as any future funds that the Croatan Institute might hope to garner.
The Croatan Institute <a href="https://croataninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BLAISE-1-Pager.pdf">boasts</a> the BLAISE internship program, which stands for &#8220;BIPOC Leaders Advancing an Inclusive and Sustainable Economy.&#8221; The program seeks to increase the representation of specific demographic groups in the financial industry.
The internship program’s eligibility requirements detail the race-based selection process. “Priority given to students of color or first-generation students from underserved communities,” the site reads. The group attempts to justify its racial preferences by writing that “in the world of finance, there is a dearth of people of color.”
The program could land the Croatan Institute in hot water, Heritage Foundation Senior Legal Fellow GianCarlo Canaparo told The Daily Wire.
“Any entity that receives federal funds is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act from discriminating on the basis of race and other protected categories,” Canaparo explained. “Giving priority to certain races, as the BIPOC internship does, is textbook discrimination.” He added that the discrimination could be remedied by way of a federal lawsuit.
The Croatan Institute has <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/93c07c39-40a4-c537-677c-326962e00582-R/latest">garnered</a> more than $4 million in federal grants since fiscal year 2022. Included in that sum is a <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/ASST_NON_25CA11083150101_12C2">$1.9 million grant</a> from the Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2025, of which just under $470,000 has already been paid out. The organization was also slated to receive <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/ASST_NON_5850903013_12H2">$40,000</a> from the Department of Agriculture to host a “financial health workshop series for BIPOC farmers and landowners.”
“If Croatan continues to receive federal funds, those funds are absolutely in jeopardy,” Canaparo explained. “And if Croatan hopes to receive more federal funds in the future, it will have to terminate this discriminatory internship program or it&#8217;s likely to <a href="https://fedsoc.org/commentary/fedsoc-blog/understanding-the-liability-risks-posed-by-trump-s-dei-order-1">face False Claims Act liability</a> in addition to all the other sorts of liability,” he added, highlighting yet another legal risk that the organization appears to have exposed itself to.
The organization appears to have held the internship program for several years as it was raking in the federal money. The Croatan Institute announced the internship’s <a href="https://croataninstitute.org/blaise-pilot-launches-for-bipoc-students-2/">pilot program</a> in 2022 and stated even more blatantly that applicants “must identify as black, indigenous, Latinx, or person of color.”
The program could threaten more than just the organization’s federal funding, however. Canaparo pointed out that the discriminatory program “jeopardizes its nonprofit status,” adding that “the IRS can revoke the tax-exempt status of a nonprofit that engages in race discrimination.”
The organization&#8217;s internship program is part of a <a href="https://croataninstitute.org/reefs/">broader initiative</a>, called &#8220;Racial Equity, Economics, Finance and Sustainability,&#8221; which seeks to &#8220;advance opportunities for greater representation of underserved communities.&#8221; The <a href="https://croataninstitute.org/BIPOC-Financial-Health/">initiative</a> includes one project, called the Financial Health Investment Project, which seeks to promote &#8220;the financial resilience and long-term success of Black and other minority farmers and landowners&#8221; by offering online financial coaching. The program was <a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fy-2023-2501-funded-projects.pdf">funded</a> by Department of Agriculture to the tune of $731,000.
The Croatan Institute isn’t the only federal grant recipient that’s discriminated against whites as it&#8217;s pursued the DEI agenda. A music ensemble <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/music-ensemble-hosts-bipoc-internship-barring-white-applicants-citing-systemic-allyship">investigated</a> by The Daily Wire received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and held a “BIPOC internship” that explicitly barred whites from participation on account of their race.
The group even posted the demographic breakdown of their intern classes, further proving that it had excluded white applicants. The organization <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/non-profit-freezes-internship-that-discriminated-against-whites-after-daily-wire-investigation">froze its internship program</a> in the wake of The Daily Wire investigation.
The Croatan Institute did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump Executive Order

Go Woke, Go Broke: Nonprofit Could Lose Millions In Federal Funds Thanks To DEI Program

anti-white

Discrimination

Diversity

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Racial Discrimination

Trump

In 2025, American students from kindergarten through law school are dumber than they’ve ever been, and we needn’t look beyond the nation’s abysmal math and English literacy <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NAEP scores</a> to prove it. Now, more than 200 California bar exam takers have had their failing scores <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/more-than-200-california-bar-exam-takers-move-from-fail-pass-after-new-scoring-adjustment?intcmp=tw_fnc&amp;taid=683e94171dc732000173e032&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">adjusted</a> to “pass,” indicating that the newest crop of California lawyers are dumber than they’ve ever been, too. What’s more, under simultaneous consideration by the state bar is a rule allowing students who registered for — but withdrew from — taking the bar exam altogether, to practice law under the supervision of “qualified” attorneys, bar exam be hanged.
Something nefarious is afoot, and its name is equity.
Public schools in Arlington, Virginia, <a href="https://ednewsva.org/arlington-public-schools-lowers-grading-standards-in-the-name-of-equity/">allow</a> students to redo assignments, turn in late work, and reduce the weight given to homework and quizzes. Georgia public schools went more than <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2022-06-10/no-a-to-f-grades-for-georgia-public-schools-for-third-year#:~:text=Georgia%20will%20go%20a%20third,of%20the%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic.&amp;text=June%2010%2C%202022%2C%20at%202%3A30%20p.m.">three</a> years without assigning A-F grades to any student in the state.
Portland, Oregon public schools have <a href="https://lawenforcementtoday.com/portland-school-district-launches-initiative-to-ban-teachers-from-giving-zeros">implemented</a> grading practices that bar teachers from assigning &#8220;zeros&#8221; to students who cheat or fail to turn in assignments — a process ostensibly geared toward eliminating &#8220;racial disparities&#8221; and &#8220;inequities&#8221; in grading and instruction.
Education failures like these bear a direct relationship to “equity” — a principle geared toward equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity — and its ruinous impact on every aspect of American learning. Equitable grading for example, a concept popularized by <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/19/05/grade-expectations">Joe Feldman</a>, author of the book “Grading for Equity,” seeks to replace traditional grading concepts which use measurable inputs and outcomes (like class attendance and participation, test scores, and completed assignments) with “equitable grading” techniques that rely on “accuracy,” “bias resistance,” and “motivation.” This noxious trend has replaced what little academic rigor American educational institutions do impart with practices that dumb down all students and guarantee the equivalent of academic participation trophies.
If you think that this sounds unfair, lowers the expectations of all students, or weakens academic rigor, you’d be right on all accounts. 
If you think that it might cause confusion for teachers, students, and parents, or reduce clear metrics by which students can be measured, or give students a false sense of security as they approach higher education and the workforce, you’d be right again.
Among popular “equitable grading” practices are “minimum grading” policies, which prevent teachers from assigning students less than 50% credit. Common, too, are prohibitions on grade penalties for late work and bans on grading homework and class participation. But not only do these exercises risk removing both discretion from teachers and crucial incentives for students to study hard, they dilute expectations and are nearly guaranteed to harm students they are purportedly meant to help.
Equitable grading policies are also big business, as our <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/equitable-grading-consultants/">research shows</a>.
In fact, a small research cohort yields evidence of expenditures of $9 million in American tax dollars spent on equity consultants since 2014, with California as the biggest offender. Our survey of 39 school districts across seven states in the past 11 years is proof positive that many educational institutions are more concerned with race essentialism and progressive, <a href="https://defendinged.org/resources/understanding-equitable-grading-jargon/">jargon-laden</a> social experimentation than they are with preparing their students for the real — and often intellectually challenging — world.
When activists demand “equity,” what they’re really saying is that the basic American value of color-blind equality of opportunity, with the rules applying equally to everyone, regardless of race — is itself, racist, because equality of opportunity doesn’t always produce equality of results. But “equity,” or attempting to achieve equality of results, requires the discrimination of one group over another — even though both started from the very same place, with the very same teachers, tools, resources, and tests at their disposal. “Equity” flies in the face of the Constitution’s guarantee that all Americans receive “equal protection” of the laws, with none garnering more or less.
Only <a href="https://citizensandscholars.org/resource/national-survey-finds-just-1-in-3-americans-would-pass-citizenship-test/">36%</a> of Americans can pass a multiple-choice test consisting of items from the U.S. Citizenship Test. An 8th grade <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/79470/1895-8th-grade-final-exam-i-couldnt-pass-it-could-you">final exam</a> from 1895 has stumped even the brightest of today’s scholars. As rigor falls, so do standardized test scores — hence the decision of many colleges and universities to make college applications “test-optional,” and eschew the traditionally required ACT or SAT exam scores.
State and local education institutions must focus on rigorous instruction and strong family-community ties that build trust, not on ensuring every student is pushed forward, no matter their readiness, in order to meet an unspoken social, equity-driven metric. This is how employment — and ultimately, economic — crises are made.
American students need more rigor, more discipline, more accountability, and more stringent grading systems.
And please, for Heaven’s sake, let’s get better lawyers.
* * *
Sarah Parshall Perry is vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire. 
Correction: We have corrected the spelling of the word &#8220;afoot.&#8221;

Setting the page on fire with some hard work

American Students Are Dumber Than Ever, Thanks To ‘Equity’

American Students Are Dumber Than Ever, Thanks To 'Equity'

American Universities

Education

Equity

Opinion

Students

President Donald Trump said on Friday that a deal with Harvard University could be announced &#8220;over the next week or so&#8221; as the Trump administration and Ivy League school have been engaged in a months-long fight over diversity programs and antisemitism on Harvard&#8217;s campus.
The president praised Harvard for coming to the negotiating table to seek a solution for &#8220;their largescale improprieties.&#8221; Trump&#8217;s fight with Harvard started after he began stripping federal funding for the university over their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and their failure to crack down on antisemitism. The battle between Trump and Harvard intensified earlier this month when the president moved to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/an-unacceptable-risk-trump-signs-proclamation-to-stop-foreign-students-from-enrolling-at-harvard?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98An+Unacceptable+Risk%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Signs+Proclamation+To+Stop+Foreign+Students+From+Enrolling+At+Harvard">stop</a> foreign students from enrolling at the university.
&#8220;Many people have been asking what is going on with Harvard University and their largescale improprieties that we have been addressing, looking for a solution,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114717387393069944">wrote</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so. They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right.&#8221;
&#8220;If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be &#8216;mindbogglingly&#8217; HISTORIC, and very good for our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221; he added.
Harvard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-sues-to-restore-taxpayer-funding-frozen-by-trump-admin">sued</a> the Trump administration for stripping over $2 billion in federal funding, and then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-sues-after-trump-admin-blocks-university-from-admitting-foreign-students">sued again</a> over the administration&#8217;s attempt to bar foreign students from attending. Shortly before Trump&#8217;s comments on Friday, a Boston-based federal judge blocked Trump from revoking Harvard&#8217;s ability to enroll foreign students, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-harvard-foreign-students-judge-ruling/#">reported</a>.
Last month, Trump suggested that Harvard cap its foreign student enrollment at 15% of the student body, which would be a drop from the nearly 30% of the student body represented by international students. He added that he wants Harvard to &#8220;show us their lists,&#8221; so that the Trump administration can &#8220;make sure that the foreign students are people that can love our country.&#8221;
&#8220;We don&#8217;t want to see shopping centers exploding. We don&#8217;t want to see the kind of riots that you had,&#8221; Trump said.
The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-state-dept-measures-unveiled-how-foreign-students-will-be-screened-for-u-s-entry">reported</a> that the State Department unveiled new measures for screening foreign students on Wednesday, including searching the social media accounts of students for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States,” “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security,” and “support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.”
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the State Department said. “The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”

Donald Trump

Trump Teases ‘Mindbogglingly Historic’ Deal With Harvard: ‘They Have Acted Extremely Appropriately’

antisemitism

College

foreign students

Harvard

Politics

State Department

Trump Administration

Three dozen federal contractors are at “high risk” of violating President Donald Trump’s executive orders barring the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies among those who do business with the federal government.
A new report from the 1792 Exchange highlights which federal contractors have previously advanced the DEI agenda most aggressively, honing in on companies that have offered rhetorical and financial support to leftwing organizations. It highlights 36 “high risk” companies that raked in $265 billion in federal contracts in fiscal year 2023 and are “likely to be maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and gender policies” in defiance of Trump’s executive orders <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/">addressing DEI</a> and <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/">transgender ideology</a>.
Daniel Cameron, the former Attorney General of Kentucky and the President of the 1792 Exchange, told The Daily Wire that the <a href="https://1792exchange.com/contractors/">database</a> provides the Trump administration with a tool to scrutinize companies that could be violating the president’s orders.
“The American people have the right to know if our hard-earned money is subsidizing any corporation’s subversive ideological programs. President Trump has taken bold action to remove DEI programming from federal institutions, including government contractors,” Cameron explained. “This report empowers government agencies and legislators to align procurement decisions with that vision of neutrality and excellence,” he added.
Among the 36 companies deemed “high risk” by the organization are Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin, which the 1792 Exchange says have discriminated against other companies “that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies.”
The three companies, the organization says, pledged to modify the demographic composition of its leadership “through the establishment of gender and racial targets” in recruiting and signed a “commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace” and “strategize on DEI programs.”
Raytheon pointed The Daily Wire to a statement it made in January, assuring the public that it would ditch the DEI agenda. “Our highly dedicated workforce is built and advances on merit in pursuit of our mission to protect and connect the world. RTX is taking the necessary actions to comply with the Presidential Executive Orders,” Raytheon said.
Another high-risk company is Honeywell International, which the 1792 Exchange said forced employees to attend “multiple controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology.” There’s also Boeing, which the 1792 Exchange said has emphasized “racial diversity in its hiring practices” and similarly required employees to attend DEI trainings.
Consulting giant Deloitte is also listed as a high-risk company, with the 1792 Exchange noting that the company joined the <a href="https://www.global-lgbti.org/who-we-are">Partnership for Global LGBTIQ+ Equality</a>, reflecting Deloitte’s “commitment to vet business partners based on LGBTQ+ policies.”
“These companies have engaged in politicized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that often include executive compensation schemes linked to diversity targets and the creation of employee affinity groups, race-conscious training programs, or gender policies that prioritize identity categories over merit,” the 1792 Exchange said.
The 1792 Exchange says its database will serve as “a resource for regulators, lawmakers, and watchdogs to scrutinize whether public funds are being directed toward companies that may now stand in violation of federal mandates.”

Lockheed Martin

Defense Contractors, Others At High Risk Of Violating Trump’s Anti-DEI Order, Watchdog Says

School districts across the country spent more than $9 million on equity consultants since 2014, with California as the biggest offender, according to a new report.
A total of 39 school districts across seven states spent $9,028,000 on consultants for equitable grading in the past 11 years, according to a new <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/equitable-grading-consultants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Defending Education.
Equitable grading is &#8220;a popular grading framework that seeks to address &#8216;inequities&#8217; and &#8216;bias&#8217; in education,&#8221; Defending Education said.
&#8220;It is rooted in the belief that all inequitable outcomes are the result of implicit and systemic bias (for example, white supremacy) and creates barriers to success for minority and low-income students,&#8221; the group said.
California was responsible for the bulk of the spending — the Golden State shelled out a total of $7,733,000 for consultants that included equitable grading guidance.
One California district alone spent more than $4 million.
Modesto City Schools paid Creative Leadership Solutions and California Education Partners $4,297,000 since 2022 for professional development that included equitable grading practices, according to the report.
Of Modesto&#8217;s spending, about $3,937,000 came from federal funds, Defending Education&#8217;s report said.
The report counted $4,561,000 in total federal funds spent on equitable grading consultants.
One firm, Crescendo Education Group, consulted for at least 26 California school districts, including Los Angeles, as well as districts in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Mexico.
<div>
“There are serious concerns about consistency in K–12 grading practices — and unfortunately, equitable grading is the latest feel-good education fad to gain traction,&#8221; Rhyen Staley, Researcher for Defending Education said in a statement to The Daily Wire.
&#8220;This grading philosophy reflects far-left ideological biases while discriminating against merit-based behaviors that are proven to lead to success. Discouraging hard work and meritocracy harms all students — but it’s especially damaging to the lowest performers,” Staley said.
Liberal public school advocates often <a href="https://parents4publicschools.org/when-schools-are-underfunded-children-suffer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argue</a> that school districts are underfunded, especially those in urban areas. However, the report shows that large school districts in blue cities paid big money for equitable grading consulting,
New Mexico was the second-biggest spender in the report, with Albuquerque Public Schools spending nearly $600,000 on consulting that included equitable grading.
Chicago Public Schools spent just under $180,000, and Boston Public Schools spent more than $102,000.
Other major school districts that forked over consulting fees included Connecticut&#8217;s New Haven Public Schools and Ohio&#8217;s Springfield City School District.
While school districts have been spending taxpayer dollars on how to make their grading practices more &#8220;equitable,&#8221; American children&#8217;s grades have sloped downward in recent years.
Reading and math scores plummeted during the COVID pandemic. Parents and teachers hoped kids would learn more quickly to catch up after remote learning ended, but those hopes have not been realized.
As of last year, four years after the pandemic hit, students continued to decline in reading and made little improvement in math, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/naep-test-scores-nations-report-card-school-60150156e41b8518be3b6eabf77d0c66" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the national exam known as the Nation’s Report Card.
</div>

Education Funding Concept

EXCLUSIVE: School Districts Spent More Than $9 Million To Make Grading Practices More ‘Equitable’

School Districts Spent Over $9 Million On Equitable Grading Consultants

California

Seattle University has been hit with a federal civil rights complaint over scholarships and programs that select students on the basis of race and sex, including one that’s administered in partnership with Costco.
In its complaint, the Equal Protection Project cites three different scholarships and programs that advance the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda, including one sponsored by the retail giant. The complaint, first viewed by The Daily Wire, calls on the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to investigate the university and enforce civil rights law.
The Costco Scholarship Fund, which both Seattle University and the University of Washington participate in, is intended for “underrepresented students of color.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-929909 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-05-at-1.01.07-PM-300x193.png" alt="" width="719" height="463" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-05-at-1.01.07-PM-300x193.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-05-at-1.01.07-PM-897x576.png 897w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-05-at-1.01.07-PM-768x493.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-05-at-1.01.07-PM.png 1124w" sizes="(max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px" /></div>
William A. Jacobson, the founder of the Equal Protection Project, told The Daily Wire that the Costco program doesn’t outline specific racial or ethnic requirements, but that it could foster exclusionary practices.
“Costco has created a program for &#8216;underrepresented students of color&#8217; but allows others to participate,&#8221; Jacobson said. “We call on Costco to make clear both in its program and in its partnerships with schools like SU that discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is prohibited.&#8221;
Costco told The Daily Wire that the scholarship fund takes into account several factors when selecting recipients, including academic record, community service history, and whether or not the applicant is &#8220;part of an underserved group, such as youth in foster care, historically underrepresented minority students, and students who are the first in their family to pursue a college degree.&#8221; Costco added that &#8220;the program is legally compliant.&#8221;
Seattle University offers other programs explicitly designed for people of specific demographic backgrounds.
The Sinegal Fellowship, open to students who graduated from Seattle University’s undergraduate program and are going on to pursue an advanced degree at the school, is specifically designed for students who participated in the Costco Fund Scholarship. Seattle University states that the fellowship “provides support for underrepresented minority Costco scholars.”
&#8220;Creating educational opportunities based on race, color, national origin, or sex violates Titles VI and IX of the Civil Rights Act, as well as Washington State law and SU&#8217;s own non-discrimination policies,” Jacobson explained. “We are asking SU to live up to the law and its own rules, and to remove the discriminatory eligibility barriers it has erected.&#8221;
The university also offers the Justice Mary I. Yu Endowed Scholarship, which offers financial assistance to “underrepresented students at Seattle University School of Law, especially women of color.”
The Women of Seattle University Endowed Scholarship, available to current students who meet a certain GPA threshold, is targeted at “underrepresented student populations, especially women.”
Jacobson told The Daily Wire that Seattle University’s programs are in violation of the Civil Rights Act.
“Aggressive DEI programming must never be permitted to cross the line into unlawful discrimination in violation of the Civil Rights Act. This line, unfortunately, appears to have been breached at SU,” Jacobson said. “It is time for higher education everywhere to focus on the inherent worth and dignity of every student rather than categorizing students based on identity groups.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
&#8220;The Equal Protection Project calls on the Department of Education to require the senior administration of SU to uphold nondiscrimination standards throughout the institution,” he added.
Seattle University did not respond to a request for comment.
Seattle University isn’t the first institution that the Equal Protection Project has hit with a federal civil rights complaint. It also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-of-rhode-island-hit-with-civil-rights-complaint-over-discriminatory-scholarships">reported</a> the University of Rhode Island’s 51 DEI-focused scholarship offerings, which discriminated against white and male students. The complaint <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/education-department-to-investigate-university-of-rhode-islands-discriminatory-scholarships">prompted</a> a federal investigation from the Department of Education.

Costco

EXCLUSIVE: Seattle University Hit With Federal Complaint Over Costco-Backed DEI Scholarship

Academia

In a state initiative with potential national implications, school districts across California are navigating the complexities of meeting the state’s looming Ethnic Studies requirement. This mandate, based on <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB101">Assembly Bill 101</a> (AB 101) signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2021, stipulates that students graduating during the 2029–2030 school year must complete at least one semester of Ethnic Studies. California stands as the first state to enact such a requirement, aiming to ostensibly foster cultural understanding through core concepts of equality, equity, justice, and the study of race and ethnicity, as outlined in the California <a href="https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp">Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum</a>.
As I reported previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-a-new-ethnic-studies-curriculum-promotes-anti-semitism-in-california">here</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/systems-of-power-ca-ethnic-studies-program-continues-to-radicalize-students">here</a>, the Northern California Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) took an ambitious approach to implementing this requirement, going beyond the basic framework typically adopted by other districts, incorporating content in English (multiple years across 9th through 12th grades), History, and Art classes. With grant funding, PVUSD hired Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, Founder and Co-Director of Community Responsive Education (CRE), whose controversial model curriculum had previously been rejected by the state for being excessively divisive and antisemitic. Despite public outcry — particularly from the Jewish community — over the district’s reliance on the rejected curriculum, PVUSD persisted through two rounds of consultation with CRE. The third round, however, stalled amidst growing dissent.
In 2024, the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, including supporters of CRE, mobilized to <a href="https://santacruzlocal.org/2024/11/13/pajaro-valley-school-board-shake-up/">change the composition</a> of the school board in the November elections. They successfully unseated three incumbents, replacing them with challengers ready to renew the contract with CRE. By April, the new board approved the final contract, signaling a shift toward dismissing community concerns. This change was epitomized by radical activist board member Gabriel Medina, who <a href="https://youtu.be/P54-FSXpoRo?si=V_mzHNecKvxy7Eb8">labeled</a> opposition to the curriculum as “propaganda” and accused dissenters of being “segregationists” intent on undermining marginalized communities. Listening to Medina’s characterizations of America in both March and April meetings, one would think we currently live under the rule of the Antebellum South.
Conversely, the Glendora Unified School District (GUSD) in Southern California adopted a more cautious strategy. District staff proposed an Ethnic Studies pilot course outline for the 2025–2026 school year, leveraging the state-approved model curriculum which focuses on four historically marginalized groups: African Americans, Chicano/Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian American/Pacific Islanders. Presented in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/9YkxqZ-rG2M">February</a> by the history and social science representatives, the pilot course adhered to the one-semester requirement.
However, the proposal faced scrutiny from the board for its lack of detailed content and transparency regarding implementation. At the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/9YkxqZ-rG2M">May</a> school board meeting, board members raised concerns about community opposition to perceived influences of Critical Race Theory (CRT) within the curriculum’s theoretical frameworks. While Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Prince emphasized that CRT was not the course’s focus, the board remained wary of its potential influence. Respecting community input, the board voted 3–2 against moving forward with the pilot course, citing the unfunded mandate of AB 101 as well as the need for further clarity and safeguards.
Unlike PVUSD, GUSD’s board demonstrated respect for all viewpoints, emphasizing the importance of community concerns alongside the practicalities of Ethnic Studies implementation. They expressed openness to revisiting the curriculum once AB 101 funding is secured and a more detailed outline addressing community hesitations is developed.
Even though local districts are not required to do so, GUSD leveraged the state’s model curriculum, which <a href="https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/documents/esmcchapter3.pdf">explicitly encourages</a> educators adopt a CRT lens as follows: “Teachers and administrators… should familiarize themselves with current scholarly research around ethnic studies instruction, such as critically and culturally or community relevant and responsive pedagogies, critical race theory, and intersectionality, which are key theoretical frameworks and pedagogies that can be used in ethnic studies research and instruction.”
This stance from the state model curriculum highlights the ongoing tension between ideological and non-ideological approaches to the subject. During public commentary, one speaker <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/9YkxqZ-rG2M?si=8ZeNIDT9H45sRzv1">recommended</a> the Independent Institute’s <a href="https://www.independent.org/research/ethnic-studies-curriculum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Comparative Cultures Ethnic Studies Curriculum</a> as a viable alternative. Unlike the state framework, this curriculum examines the diverse tapestry of American history, portraying both its challenges and triumphs to emphasize unity over division.
Although the Comparative curriculum was unavailable at the outset of GUSD’s Ethnic Studies journey, it remains an option worth considering for the district moving forward. As a panelist at its launch last year, I can attest to its efficacy as a balanced, non-partisan resource that aims to foster inclusivity without isolating specific groups. While it may be too late for PVUSD to revise its course, GUSD still can chart a different path — one that prioritizes connection and collective growth over ideological division.
The contrasting approaches taken by PVUSD and GUSD illustrate the complexities of implementing California’s Ethnic Studies mandate. While PVUSD’s path has fueled divisiveness and polarized community relations, GUSD’s measured approach reflects a willingness to adapt and address concerns thoughtfully. As school districts across the state grapple with fulfilling AB 101, GUSD’s restraint and respect for diverse perspectives offer a model for navigating this challenging — but vital — initiative.
* * *
Walter Myers III is a Senior Fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute and an adjunct faculty member at Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Library And Books

Ethnic Studies: A Tale Of Two California School Districts

Ethnic Studies

High School

school district

University of North Carolina Asheville parted ways with administrator Megan Pugh after video surfaced of the now-former Dean of Students bragging about her plans to use her position to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) despite it being banned.
Corey DeAngelis shared the story in a thread posted to X on Tuesday, beginning with video obtained by an undercover journalist – working with Accuracy In Media —who spoke with Pugh and recorded her in her office.
&#8220;Undercover journalists caught an administrator at UNC Asheville bragging about pushing DEI despite it being banned. She said, &#8216;I LOVE BREAKING RULES,'&#8221; DeAngelis began.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Undercover journalists caught an administrator at UNC Asheville bragging about pushing DEI despite it being banned.
She said, &#8220;I LOVE BREAKING RULES&#8221;
She also did a moment of silence &#8220;to honor those lost to White Supremacist Violence&#8221;
I have the videos 
Buckle up 👇🧵
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1929922915778326862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In the video that followed, Pugh revealed to an undercover journalist that she was still doing &#8220;equity work&#8221; despite official policies banning it — and that she loved &#8220;breaking rules.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The pro-DEI administrator says they &#8220;gotta keep it quiet&#8221; when it comes to their equity work.
She says, &#8220;I LOVE BREAKING RULES.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/NP7Gh0W9P7">pic.twitter.com/NP7Gh0W9P7</a>
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1929923028189884448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Pugh said that she planned to continue pushing DEI &#8220;until they get mad at us.&#8221;
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The discussion turned to &#8220;implicit bias training,&#8221; and Pugh admitted, &#8220;The sort of guidance from the system office has been very specific about implicit bias training in a way that I don&#8217;t enjoy&#8221; — but she said that she intended to find a way to &#8220;incorporate&#8221; it in spite of that guidance.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The pro-DEI administrator says the university would be interested in implicit bias training.
She acknowledges guidance against implicit bias training but says &#8220;my intention is that we can still incorporate&#8221; it anyway. <a href="https://t.co/Q6BhQa7ttK">pic.twitter.com/Q6BhQa7ttK</a>
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1929923235535303146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DeAngelis followed that with an older video of Pugh beginning a video meeting with a moment of silence &#8220;to honor those lost to White Supremacist Violence&#8221; and a description of herself, written by Pugh, that read, &#8220;I center the teachings of Black, queer, feminist scholars as well as other BIPOC thought leaders in my leadership, advocacy, and student engagement practices.&#8221;
A report from Fox News Digital revealed that Pugh was &#8220;no longer employed by the university&#8221; following the video&#8217;s release.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Fox News found out that after &#8220;a prompt review of the matter&#8221; the &#8220;individual is NO LONGER EMPLOYED by the university.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/SNwD7iJOzU">pic.twitter.com/SNwD7iJOzU</a>
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1929924075016859875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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DeAngelis followed up with the university and got confirmation on Pugh&#8217;s termination.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: The university&#8217;s communications director responded to my email:
&#8220;UNC Asheville takes these comments seriously. Following a prompt review of the matter, the individual is no longer employed by the University.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/t2AY0BxDFK">pic.twitter.com/t2AY0BxDFK</a>
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1929970723734298871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The remarks do not represent the practices on UNC Asheville,&#8221; the statement read. &#8220;The University remains firmly committed to all UNC System policies as well as federal and state laws, both in principle and practice. UNC Asheville takes these comments seriously. Following a prompt review of the matter, the individual is no longer employed by the University.&#8221;

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Text on Wood Block

UNC Cans DEI Dean Over Undercover Video: ‘I Love Breaking Rules’

University of North Carolina

A federally-funded education program warned teachers that babies could be racist and pushed other forms of DEI and transgender ideologies on educators, The Daily Wire can exclusively report.
A new report from the Functional Government Initiative (FGI) reveals just how deeply woke ideology has permeated Head Start, a government program that provides education and other services to children three to five. Head Start held webinars for teachers on “anti-bias and anti-racism strategies Head Start programs can use in their practices, services, and systems.”
One webinar warned that even infants “discriminate between faces by race” and that “babies can categorize people by gender and race.”
Head Start also embraced transgender ideology, referring to pregnant women as “birthing parents” and “pregnant people” in social media posts. The program also proposed ways to make activities for children “more inclusive,” including by changing the lyrics to “Old MacDonald Had A Farm.”
“Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O And on that farm he/she/they had a pig, E-I-E-I-O,” the updated lyrics read.
<div id="attachment_927965" style="width: 660px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-927965" class=" wp-image-927965" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.24.55-AM-300x175.png" alt="" width="650" height="379" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.24.55-AM-300x175.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.24.55-AM-989x576.png 989w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.24.55-AM-768x447.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.24.55-AM.png 1168w" sizes="(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" />FGI Report</div>
“Head Start now promotes radical diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology, peddling a divisive world view on the government’s dime,” the FGI report reads. “A microscope must be applied to the program to assess how, where, and why our taxpayer money promoted controversial political ideologies antithetical to the real progress America has made for children and families.&#8221;
The 2020 presentation, titled “Anti-Bias Teaching and Learning Environments in Head Start Programs,” sought to foster “anti-bias learning environments” and warned of “implicit bias.”
“Explore children&#8217;s understanding of race and identity development,” the seminar description states. “Discover strategies to promote anti-bias practices through supportive interactions and activities with children.” The presentation outlined the “four core goals of anti-bias education” of identity, diversity, justice, and activism.
Another presentation dealt with “Personally-Mediated Racism in Early Education” and featured a graphic with the phrase “They’re not too young to talk about race!”
<div id="attachment_927969" style="width: 680px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-927969" class=" wp-image-927969" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.25.54-AM-300x176.png" alt="" width="670" height="393" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.25.54-AM-300x176.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.25.54-AM-980x576.png 980w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.25.54-AM-768x451.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.25.54-AM.png 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px" />FGI Report</div>
“Apply a racial equity lens to all Head Start policies AND funding,” reads a slide titled “Addressing Racism in Early Childhood.”
Yet another presentation encouraged teachers to talk to young children about race.
“If we commit to collectively trying to talk about race with young children, we can lean on one another as we, together, envision a world where we actively challenge racism each and every day,” the slide said.
<div id="attachment_927973" style="width: 688px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-927973" class=" wp-image-927973" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.26.59-AM-300x175.png" alt="" width="678" height="395" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.26.59-AM-300x175.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.26.59-AM-988x576.png 988w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.26.59-AM-768x448.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.26.59-AM.png 1238w" sizes="(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px" />FGI Report</div>
Head Start was <a href="https://acf.gov/ohs/about/head-start">launched</a> in 1965 and offers a variety of services to children from impoverished families. Program benefits are administered throughout the country by partner organizations, including school districts, non-profits, and faith-based organizations, which provide medical assistance, nutritional support, and education to eligible families.
Head Start also encouraged teachers to read texts on critical race theory, including the 1619 Project from Nikole Hannah-Jones and “How to be Antiracist” by Ibram X Kendi.
In September 2022, Head Start teamed up with Sesame Street to push for “racial justice” in childhood education. Sesame Street used the occasion to showcase new characters, including one that encouraged “black pride” among children.
<div id="attachment_927975" style="width: 709px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-927975" class=" wp-image-927975" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.28.26-AM-300x176.png" alt="" width="699" height="410" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.28.26-AM-300x176.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.28.26-AM-980x576.png 980w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.28.26-AM-768x451.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Screen-Shot-2025-06-02-at-10.28.26-AM.png 1198w" sizes="(max-width: 699px) 100vw, 699px" />FGI Report</div>
A project of the Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start has funded organizations that cater to illegal aliens. The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation has received nearly <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/6c9a2ff8-db6c-4013-7cc9-de4f348b510f-C/all">$33 million</a> in federal grants to support the administration of the Head Start program across its various locations. The organization simultaneously offers free and discounted <a href="https://maof.org/community-development/immigration-services">legal services to illegal aliens</a>.
The organization offers assistance with applications for the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shelters some illegal aliens from deportation.
Head Start did not respond to a request for comment.
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro slammed Head Start in an April episode of &#8220;The Ben Shapiro Show,&#8221; calling the program &#8220;one of the great fails in federal history.&#8221;
&#8220;The data on Head Start has been pretty solid for a long time showing effectively no difference between kids who go to Head Start and kids who do not.&#8221;

Baby

EXCLUSIVE: Federal Education Program Warned Teachers About Racist Babies, Made Old MacDonald Trans

Critical Race Theory

The YMCA scrubbed guidance from its website saying that its campers should have access to bathrooms and cabins based on their gender identities after a campaign from a conservative parent group warned about the organization&#8217;s transgender policies. 
On Wednesday, The Daily Wire exclusively reported that American Parents Coalition had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/parents-sound-alarm-on-ymca-camps-allowing-men-in-girls-showers-and-cabins?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Parents+Sound+Alarm+On+YMCA+Camps+Allowing+Boys+In+Girls%E2%80%99+Showers+And+Cabins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> its followers that YMCA camps across the country allow boys who identify as girls into female facilities. By Friday, the YMCA had either scrubbed or restricted access to much of the content on its website related to gender ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
“After being called out for prioritizing radical, gender ideology over child safety, the YMCA is scrambling to delete and hide the evidence,” American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré told The Daily Wire. “The YMCA can delete and hide as many web pages as they want, but American Parents Coalition will continue to push for policies that protect girls in sports and in private spaces.”
dOne of the <a href="https://www.ymca.org/ystories/youth-teen-development/create-safe-spaces-for-lgbtq-campers">pages</a> that appears to have been removed from the website was called “How to Create a Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Campers” and was posted in 2017.  This archived <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240614040539/https://www.ymca.org/ystories/youth-teen-development/create-safe-spaces-for-lgbtq-campers">page</a> included recommendations that “all campers and staff have access to the facilities aligned with their gender identity and comfort within facility and resource limitations.” 
Other recommendations included working to “confound gender-based assumptions,” using “gender-neutral (or self-identified) pronouns,” marketing featuring same-sex couples or transgender individuals, partnering with organizations that “serve the LGBTQ+ community,” and celebrating Pride month. 
Already at YMCA facilities across the country, women and girls have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/82-year-old-woman-sues-after-disturbing-trans-incident-at-ymca-pool" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complained</a> about the presence of males in their locker rooms and shower areas. And certain camps, such as Camp Olson in Minnesota, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/parents-sound-alarm-on-ymca-camps-allowing-men-in-girls-showers-and-cabins?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Parents+Sound+Alarm+On+YMCA+Camps+Allowing+Boys+In+Girls%E2%80%99+Showers+And+Cabins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stipulate</a> that access to restrooms and overnight accommodations be based on gender identity. 
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Another YMCA webpage that was <a href="https://www.ymca.org/ystories/y-community/affirming-lgbtq-communities-with-pride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restricted</a> was called “Affirming LGBTQ+ Communities with Pride.” This page <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250120190630/https://www.ymca.org/ystories/diversity-equity-inclusion/affirming-lgbtq-communities-with-pride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directed</a> visitors to radical organizations like the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schools-across-u-s-push-kids-to-chatrooms-where-they-can-talk-transgenderism-with-lgbtq-adults" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Project</a>, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Gay, Lesbian &amp; Straight Education Network (GLSEN). 
The page also recommended working “with local officials, organizations and youth groups to ensure that policies support the LGBTQ+ community.”
A <a href="https://www.ymca.org/ystories/youth-teen-development/books-to-teach-empathy-kindness#:~:text=A%20Chair%20for%20My%20Mother,chair%20for%20all%20to%20enjoy." target="_blank" rel="noopener">page</a> with book recommendations for children was also restricted. One of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20241112183430/https:/www.ymca.org/ystories/youth-teen-development/books-to-teach-empathy-kindness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">books</a>, aimed at children ages 4-7, was “George,” by Alex Gino, which describes a gender-confused boy.
“When people look at George, they see a boy. But George knows she’s a girl. George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever until her teacher announces the title of the class play. This book is the candid and heartwarming story of a transgender girl and the support of her friends,” the description posted by the YMCA reads. 
Also <a href="https://www.ymca.org/ystories/y-community/showing-up-as-my-whole-self" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restricted</a> were similar pages on the YMCA’s promotion of Pride including a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250120095842/https:/www.ymca.org/ystories/diversity-equity-inclusion/showing-up-as-my-whole-self" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog post</a> by self-described “queer transgender woman” talking about how the YMCA of Greater Boston marched together in a Pride Parade. Another similar <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250218123149/https://www.ymca.org/ystories/y-community/thank-you-my-allies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> discussed the YMCA of the USA’s National LGBTQ+ Steering Committee. 
Other DEI-themed pages and the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240801054953/https:/www.ymca.org/who-we-are/our-leadership/executives/lynda-gonzales-chavez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biographies</a> of employees working with DEI roles are restricted. For example, the bio page for Lynda Gonzales-Chavez, who was the YMCA’s Senior VP/Chief Global Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Officer, is no longer visible. Her role is now described as Chief Global Relations and Community Engagement Officer at YMCA.
Marré was not impressed with the removal of the LGBT-themed content. 
“Parents deserve complete transparency and accountability when it comes to their children. Make no mistake, until the YMCA announces new policies to safeguard children, they are only concealing the evidence,” she told The Daily Wire. “As parents, we cannot stop applying pressure to these institutions. This is just the first step in protecting our children from spaces that defy biological truth.”

Logo or sign for the YMCA in the downtown district

YMCA Scrubs Transgender Guidance After Parent Group Raises Alarm

Gender Identity

gender ideology

Transgender

YMCA

School districts across the country have spent millions of federal dollars meant for low-income students pushing leftist concepts in the classroom, an education watchdog found.
Defending Education released a <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/hijacked/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> on Wednesday detailing how 55 school districts have used federal funding to push DEI, restorative justice, and Social Emotional Learning. The funds, many of which have been allocated through Title I and Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act, are meant to help schools with high percentages of students from low-income families.
Despite the intention of the funds, they often have gone toward things like racially-focused programs, training teachers to grade with equity, racial equity consulting, and other DEI initiatives. The report, which was first shared with The Daily Wire, found that $19,022,259 in federal funding, primarily through Title I, II, and IV, was spent by districts on DEI, restorative justice, and Social Emotional Learning.
&#8220;Instead of prioritizing reading, writing and arithmetic, school districts across the country have spent nearly $20 million in federal funds on organizations and consultants promoting progressive ideology in K-12 education,&#8221; Defending Education Investigative Reporter Kendall Tietz told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;Programs centered on social emotional learning, as well as race- and sex-based content, often seek to influence students’ thoughts and beliefs by framing their understanding of the world through the lens of identity politics. Time and again, district spending illustrates how lucrative far-Left programming is for education activists,&#8221; she added.
The Hayward Unified School District in California in 2022 <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030212&amp;MID=12241&amp;enIID=QwwltgiXsyTABQiud78D9A%3D%3D&amp;srch=Crescendo+Education+Group&amp;ktype=Exact&amp;Tab=Agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allocated</a> $110,000 in Title funds for the Crescendo Education Group to train teachers in &#8220;equitable grading.&#8221; This means that teachers were <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/meetings/TempFolder/Meetings/Crescendo%20Contract_263810gssymh5t4goa0bbsvvyshlxo.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taught</a> &#8220;grading and assessment practices that are more accurate,&#8221; &#8220;bias-resistant,&#8221; and &#8220;motivational.&#8221;
Similarly, Jefferson Union High School District in California <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030270&amp;MID=30931&amp;enIID=XF0tHbtuREKlVhP4rewS5w%3D%3D&amp;srch=Crescendo+Education+Group&amp;ktype=Exact&amp;Tab=Agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent</a> nearly $300,000 in Title 1 funding for Crescendo Education to provide training on equitable grading from 2022 to 2024.
Hayward also <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030212&amp;MID=14139&amp;enIID=oZpdaoyzbSn2syrxwUSYsw%3D%3D&amp;srch=woke+kindergarten&amp;ktype=Exact&amp;Tab=Agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used</a> $200,000 in Comprehensive Support and Improvement funds for a contract with the organization &#8220;Woke Kindergarten&#8221; to push teachers to <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/meetings/TempFolder/Meetings/Woke%20Kindergarten_Contract%20Amendment_315462gssymh5t4goa0bbsvvyshlxo.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adop</a>t a &#8220;healing-centered &amp; liberatory learning practices made possible by developing their understanding of teaching through an abolitionist lens.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_926399" style="width: 1560px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-926399" class="size-full wp-image-926399" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-28-at-1.44.26%E2%80%AFPM.png" alt="" width="1550" height="1038" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-28-at-1.44.26%E2%80%AFPM.png 1550w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-28-at-1.44.26%E2%80%AFPM-300x201.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-28-at-1.44.26%E2%80%AFPM-860x576.png 860w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-28-at-1.44.26%E2%80%AFPM-768x514.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-28-at-1.44.26%E2%80%AFPM-1536x1029.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1550px) 100vw, 1550px" />Woke Kindergarten contracts with Hayward Unified School District.</div>
In nearby San Rafael City Schools, the school board used Title IV dollars in both 2023 and 2024 to <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030430&amp;MID=24502&amp;enIID=qCU3Hpr7yvVXtplus6VZUZBNQ%3D%3D&amp;srch=black+girls&amp;ktype=Exact&amp;Tab=Agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">create</a> a &#8220;Black Girls Group,&#8221; described as a place for &#8220;young Black girls to discuss, understand, and combat racism while fostering a sense of belonging.&#8221;
Another California school that has used federal funds to push racialized programs is West Contra Costa Unified School District, which <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030499&amp;MID=15557&amp;enIID=2pn8i9ccAkk8QnQESUCYeg%3D%3D&amp;srch=Wayfinder&amp;ktype=Exact&amp;Tab=Agenda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> over $330,000 in Title I funds in 2022 and 2024 for Improve Your Tomorrow&#8217;s College Academy program, whose <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/meetings/TempFolder/Meetings/Contract%20Summary.092122_344094gssymh5t4goa0bbsvvyshlxo.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mission</a> is to &#8220;increase the number of young men of color&#8221; going to college.
In Illinois, the Township High School District 211 <a href="https://go.boarddocs.com/il/thsd211/Board.nsf/files/D3CHEU48303C/$file/Approval%20of%20Minutes%20--%20February%2022%2C%202024%20(03-21-24).pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> $55,000 in Title II grants for professional development trainings with Courageous Conversations, an organization that <a href="https://courageousconversation.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> it wants to pursue &#8220;racial equity&#8221; by uncovering &#8220;personal and institutional biases.&#8221;
Indianapolis Public Schools has <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/indianapolis-public-schools-paid-racial-equity-consultant-1-3-million-over-10-years-including-over-680000-in-title-i-funds-adopts-equity-policy-that-calls-color-blindness-a-present-day-r/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent</a> hundreds of thousands of Title I funding on contracts with the Racial Equity Institute, another group of consultants steeped in racial ideology. Other districts, like Lorain City Schools in Ohio, have <a href="https://filecabinet10.eschoolview.com/A37642F5-4C14-4F55-8D03-5BCCF1F87568/d37bd1be-ad61-4303-83f5-2893f8ff1a43.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent</a> over $13,000 in Title IV on services from the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland for &#8220;services.&#8221; It is unclear what those services were.
Defending Education&#8217;s report also highlights how school districts have used federal funds to implement Social Emotional Learning concepts, pointing to contracts with organizations like Panorama Education, the Committee for Children, and Project Wayfinder.
Advocates of social emotional learning <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-social-emotional-learning-is-nothing-more-than-unlicensed-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">say</a> that the thinking behind it is that schools teach students how to regulate their emotions, develop healthy identities, build positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
According to Defending Education, 17 school districts have used federal funding to pay Panorama Education $2,427,721 using federal grants for their survey platform or related services. Panorama Education, which has <a href="https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/introducing-panorama-for-social-emotional-learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backed</a> Social Emotional Learning techniques, says that it allows local districts to tailor use of its platforms to their own needs and that it only provides the technology and doesn&#8217;t push any ideology.
The Committee for Children told The Daily Wire that its SEL programs &#8220;are evidence-based and focused on helping young people develop skills to support safety, well-being, and academic success. They are not political or ideological in nature. They are welcomed and actively used across thousands of communities in all 50 states, just as they have been for more than 40 years.&#8221;
The Education Department has indicated that it may be scrutinizing schools&#8217; implementation of Social Emotional Learning concepts to ensure that it is not being used as a workaround for restrictions on DEI. In an <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/frequently-asked-questions-about-racial-preferences-and-stereotypes-under-title-vi-of-civil-rights-act-109530.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAQ sheet</a>, the Education Department said that some schools have looked to use SEL to push DEI through other means.
&#8220;Other schools have sought to veil racially discriminatory policies with terms like &#8216;social-emotional learning&#8217; or &#8216;culturally responsive&#8217; teaching. But whether an initiative constitutes unlawful discrimination does not turn solely on whether it is labeled &#8216;DEI&#8217; or uses terminology such as &#8216;diversity,&#8217; &#8216;equity,&#8217; or &#8216;inclusion,'&#8221; the departments wrote in February.
The Trump administration has directed all federal funding to be cut from schools receiving federal money if they push racial and gender ideologies on students. Already, the Education Department has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-deals-blow-to-taxpayer-funded-leftist-activist-training-program?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Deals+Blow+To+Taxpayer-Funded+Leftist+Activist+Training+Program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken action</a> to cut off funding for entities pushing radical ideology, including $1 billion in &#8220;mental-health grants,&#8221; many of which were going toward training leftist activists.

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How Schools Use Taxpayer Money For Poor Students To Push Leftist Ideology

Department of Education

Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action, an Illinois medical school admits black and Hispanic students with lower average MCAT scores and GPAs than the average scores of white and Asian students it rejects, according to data shared with The Daily Wire.
An analysis of the academic scores of students admitted into Southern Illinois School of Medicine from 2019-2024 reveals that blacks and Hispanics are admitted to the school with much lower scores than whites and Asians, figures obtained by Do No Harm show. These apparently different academic standards continue despite the Supreme Court&#8217;s June 2023 decision to strike down affirmative action, leading to concern that the university is watering down the importance of academics in admissions.
This revelation comes as school leadership <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/unearthed-footage-exposes-medical-school-administrators-pledging-resist-trump-executive-orders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promises</a> to &#8220;resist&#8221; and &#8220;fight back&#8221; against executive actions from the Trump administration cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. A spokeswoman for the school told The Daily Wire that it was &#8220;committed to following the law and complying with the decisions of the Supreme Court.&#8221;
Comparing average GPAs and MCAT scores, Do No Harm found that whites and Asians generally need to score significantly higher than blacks and Hispanics to be admitted into the school. The MCAT is the standardized test that all prospective doctors must take to be admitted into medical school.
“In 2024, the average MCAT score of accepted Asians and whites (combined) was more than 4 points higher than that of accepted blacks and Hispanics (combined) — equivalent to a gap of about 14 percentile points. On GPA, accepted Asians and whites on average had 0.36 higher scores than accepted Blacks and Hispanics,” Do No Harm wrote in a summary of its analysis of the data. 
According to data from 2024, the average GPA score of students accepted into the Southern Illinois  School of Medicine, broken down by race, was: Hispanic (3.45), black (3.50), white (3.85), and Asian (3.89). For the MCAT (best score being 528), the average scores were as follows: Hispanic (503.5 &#8211; 58th percentile), black (505.7 &#8211; 65th percentile), white (509 &#8211; 75th percentile), and Asian (512.8 &#8211; 85th percentile).
&#8220;When comparing to the average scores of all accepted applicants, whites/Asians scored slightly above average while blacks/Hispanics scored significantly below average,&#8221; Do No Harm noted in its report.
The 2024 data also reveal that whites and Asians who were rejected had average higher MCAT scores and GPAs than blacks and Hispanics who were accepted. The average MCAT score for whites/Asians rejected was 505.7, compared to the 505.2 of blacks/Hispanics accepted. For GPA, the average for white/Asians rejected was 3.66 compared to the 3.50 of blacks/Hispanics accepted.
The data also show that 21 Asians with perfect GPAs were rejected in 2024.
&#8220;Of the 24 black or Hispanic applicants admitted in 2024, 17 had MCAT scores lower than the average white or Asian rejected applicant; 13 had GPAs lower than the average white or Asian rejected applicant,&#8221; Do No Harm noted. &#8220;In 2024, no Asian admitted student had an MCAT score below 503. Meanwhile, half of black admitted students (9 of 18) had an MCAT score below 503.&#8221;
These trends hold for every year from 2020 to 2024, with average rejection scores for whites/Asians being higher than average accepted scores for blacks/Hispanics, as Do No Harm noted that 2024 was &#8220;not an outlier.&#8221;
&#8220;Blacks and Hispanics were admitted with lower MCAT and GPA scores than whites and Asians in each of the past five years at the school,&#8221; Do No Harm reported. &#8220;A five-year average of SIUSOM’s accepted applicants shows that there was a difference of 0.34 GPA points between the two racial groups.&#8221;
The same could be found when comparing MCAT scores.
<div id="attachment_924279" style="width: 1175px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-924279" class="size-full wp-image-924279" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-22-at-2.41.15%E2%80%AFPM.png" alt="" width="1165" height="621" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-22-at-2.41.15%E2%80%AFPM.png 1165w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-22-at-2.41.15%E2%80%AFPM-300x160.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-22-at-2.41.15%E2%80%AFPM-1024x546.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-22-at-2.41.15%E2%80%AFPM-768x409.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1165px) 100vw, 1165px" />Credit: Do No Harm.</div>
Paulette Dove, the senior counsel for Health Affairs for the Southern Illinois University system, said earlier this year that the affirmative action decision had a big impact on the school. 
“And then I just wanted to share one of the cases that had the biggest impact on SIU since I&#8217;ve been here, from a legal perspective, is the Students for Fair Admissions case that came out in 2023 and that was about looking at race and diversity and other issues in admissions and how that went about,&#8221; she said in a video shared with The Daily Wire, turning a faculty discussion on Trump&#8217;s executive actions.
&#8220;And I want you to know that those lawsuits were started in 2014 and we saw an outcome from the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023,&#8221; she added. &#8220;So, there is time to work through all of these issues that are coming up now, even though they feel urgent, and we will do our best to stay on top of those urgent things, but my best suggestion to you is to really stay the course for the time being.”
Ian Kingsbury, the director of research for Do No Harm, told The Daily Wire that he is skeptical that the university has complied with the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, saying that the school would be &#8220;pretty hard pressed to convince&#8221; someone that the admission data doesn&#8217;t reveal racial discrimination. 
On its website, the school lists a number of factors it considers in admission. These <a href="https://www.siumed.edu/md-admissions#selection-factors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">include</a> extracurricular activities, employment and volunteer experience, and area of residence, &#8220;with preference given to central and southern Illinois residents and those from rural, inner-city, or disadvantaged backgrounds.&#8221;
Kingsbury said that the school would have had to significantly deemphasize academics to get to its current situation.
&#8220;I understand that academic qualifications alone aren’t the only thing that should determine your admission to medical school. But in any sane and reasonable world, they should be extremely important,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Essentially, they would have to establish that the non-academic criteria that they are using, that it just so happens that their black and Hispanic applicants are that much better than their white and Asian applicants along those criteria.” 
Southern Illinois School of Medicine has received millions of federal dollars, <a href="https://budzinski.house.gov/posts/budzinski-announces-3-2-million-for-siu-school-of-medicine?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> a $3.2 million grant in 2023, to improve its facilities. The school also currently has <a href="https://taggs.hhs.gov/searchaward" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multiple grants</a> from the National Institutes of Health, including hundreds of thousands of dollars to study drug addictions.
In January, President Donald Trump issued an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> that directed his administration to ensure that any educational facility receiving federal dollars was complying with the Students for Fair Admission decision. Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to medical schools warning them of &#8220;unlawful&#8221; admission practices that look at race in admissions.
&#8220;It appears that many medical schools may have yet to come into compliance with the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA,&#8221; the department wrote. &#8220;Medical schools found to be out of compliance with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, be subject to investigation and measures to secure compliance which may, if unsuccessful, affect continued eligibility for federal funding.&#8221;
Kingsbury said that there was a cultural problem across much of taxpayer-funded academia where they thought they were above oversight.
“This is a cultural problem in higher ed broadly, where they don’t feel that they’re responsive or accountable to any democratic authority,” he said. “It really is a problem across the academy. They think they should be running themselves without any concern for what the president of the United States says or what the Supreme Court of the United States says.”

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Med School Caught Rejecting White And Asian Applicants With Better Scores Than Minorities It Accepts

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