CUNY’s Black Male Initiative Facing Federal Investigation

The Justice Department is investigating a program at City University of New York that offers support for men from underrepresented backgrounds for alleged racial discrimination.

Trump officials said in a Tuesday news release that the Justice Department received reports that CUNY’s Black Male Initiative “provides educational benefits to minorities, particularly black males, on the basis of race.” The university says on the program’s website and in other materials that while the initiative is geared toward Black, Caribbean and Hispanic men, its activities are open to all students.

As part of the initiative, students receive “additional layers of academic and social support,” such as peer-to-peer mentoring, according to the website.

Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement that “race can never play a role when deciding how to distribute educational resources or opportunities.” The DOJ release noted that the Civil Rights Division hasn’t reached any conclusion about the investigation.

The Justice Department has declared a range of diversity, equity and inclusion practices unlawful and opened several investigations into allegations of racial discrimination at universities.

CUNY did not respond to a request for comment.