The EEOC Appears To Defy The U.S. Supreme Court On Racial Preferences
Federal agency settlement with Groupon creates educational fund and scholarships in STEM fields only for black students, though Hispanics are more underrepresented in STEM fields.
The U.S. Supreme Court ended affirmative action in education in June 2023 when it issued a long awaited decision addressing race-conscious admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
In a 6-3 ruling, the Court said the colleges’ admissions programs, which favored minority applicants and essentially discriminated against Asians and whites, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Court said students “must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race.”
Did the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), which implements federal civil rights laws, get the memo?
The EEOC on Thursday announced it has entered into a voluntary agreement with Groupon, Inc. to establish a $350,000 “educational fund dedicated to improving primary and secondary STEM education for Black students and awarding scholarships to Black students pursuing advanced degrees in STEM fields.” STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math.
Awarding scholarships only to black students appears to directly conflict with the US. Supreme Court’s argument, if not dictum, against racial preferences in admissions.
Moreover, there is a question of why only black students are eligible for the program when Hispanics are more highly unrepresented in STEM fields.
Why exclude Hispanics, the most highly unrepresented race in STEM fields?
According to Pew Research, blacks hold approximately nine percent of stem jobs, compared to 11% of total employment across all occupations. Hispanics hold eight percent of STEM jobs, compared to 17% of all jobs. By contrast, Asians are over-represented in STEM fields, as they are in the category of elite students seeking admission to Harvard. Asians hold 13% of STEM jobs compared to six percent of all jobs.
The EEOC did not define STEM workers, which could encompass a broad array of computer and computer related jobs requiring everything from a doctorate to a two-year associate degrees.
The EEOC also did not explain its focus on black students as opposed to other racial groups and women. A request for comment from the EEOC was not forthcoming by press time. However, the EEOC’s general emphasis on increasing diversity mirrors an argument rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Harvard / UNC case. (cont.)
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