Read the PDF of our statement here.
Submitted by Jin Hee Lee, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Legal Defense Fund. written testimony As part of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development hearing “Divisive, Excessive, and Ineffective: The Real Impact of DEI on College Campuses.” Her testimony describes the unjust barriers that limit Black and other underrepresented students' access to higher education opportunities and describes the discrimination they face on campus. She also details how Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs can improve outcomes for Black students.
“As a nation, we cannot afford to lose the potential talent and contributions that each individual person could offer to this country. Unfortunately, however, Black and other underrepresented students , continue to experience unjustified barriers and discrimination that limit their ability to access higher education opportunities and succeed at their institutions,” Hee Lee wrote. “By increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, we can improve outcomes for underrepresented students and increase employment opportunities for faculty and staff of color. Cultivating the potential to become a better person benefits all of us, regardless of race.”
LDF’s Pro-Truth Initiativeandequal protection initiativeWe are monitoring attacks on DEIA issues nationally and are working to defend against attacks on DEIA at the state level, including in South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas..
Read the full testimony here.
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Founded in 1940,legal defense fund(LDF) is America's first civil rights law organization. L.D.F.Thurgood Marshall Instituteis an interdisciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and engages in innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. L.D.F.equal protection initiativestrives to defend and promote the proper interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause and anti-discrimination laws to make clear that it is lawful to promote equal opportunity for all. For media attribution, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Note that LDF has been separated from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957. However, LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares a commitment to equal rights.