Tag: equity

Virginia’s GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin slams ‘maniacal’ decision by SEVEN schools in woke district to hide merit awards from top students to boost ‘equity’ – as AG warns move could have cost youngsters college scholarships

Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has slammed the decision by seven Fairfax County schools to withhold from their students whether they received a prestigious national merit recognition as ‘maniacal’.

Only awarded to 50,000 of 1.5million high schoolers who score well on the PSATS, the prestigious award can help students compete for scholarships, honors accolades, and college admissions. 

The schools – which include America’s best-performing public school, Thomas Jefferson High – have explained their decision to keep the results secret as a form of ‘equity.’ They insist it’s part of a new school strategy meant to provide ‘equal outcomes for every student, without exceptions.’ – but parents are furious. 

As a result of the deception, pupils who had been named ‘commended students’ by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation were purposely left in the dark so as to not ‘hurt the feelings of’ other students. 

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Race to the Bottom: High School Withholds Academic Awards for the Sake of ‘Equity’

It’s almost funny how when it comes to the American education system, leftist indoctrination and pandering has paved the way for “equity” to be a good trait or quality.

We all know that simply isn’t the case…

The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, has come under intense scrutiny and fire after it was revealed that the school had intentionally delayed notifying students of national academic honors in the name of “equity.”

A Fairfax County parent, Asra Nomani, joined “Fox and Friends First” to lament the award delays and the philosophy backing up such decision-making.

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DeSantis Campaign Nukes Kamala Harris Over Racial Remarks About Natural Disasters

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘ (R) campaign blasted Vice President Kamala Harris (D) Friday afternoon over remarks that she made suggesting that the administration is working to prioritize distributing relief funds for natural disasters based in part on race.

Harris made the remarks during a discussion with leftist Priyanka Chopra at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C.

“It is our lowest income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not of their own making,” Harris claimed. “And so we have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity, understanding not everyone starts out at the same place.”

She added, “And if we want people to be in an equal place, sometimes we have to take into account those disparities and do that work.”

DeSantis Rapid Response Director Christina Pushaw responded directly to Harris’ remarks by saying that it was false.

“This is false. @VP ‘s rhetoric is causing undue panic and must be clarified,” Pushaw said. “FEMA Individual Assistance is already available to all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian, regardless of race or background. If you need assistance visit http://disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.”

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Here Are the 90+ ‘Equity’ Plans Taxpayers Are Now Funding Across the Federal Government

Under the Biden administration, more than 90 federal agencies have pledged their commitment to equity by adopting action plans that put gender, race and other such factors at the center of their governmental missions.

The Equity Action Plans, which have received little notice since they were posted online last month following a document request from RealClearInvestigations, represent a “whole of government” fight against “entrenched disparities” and the “unbearable human costs of systemic racism.”

The equity blueprints show that:

  • The U.S. State Department is keen on exporting American-style gender and race consciousness into foreign diplomacy and across the globe. Citing “identity” and “intersections of marginalization” as focal points, State Department officials acknowledge that promoting these Western concepts in foreign lands may clash with “societal norms” and elicit an “unwillingness to cede power by dominant groups.”
  • The Environmental Protection Agency plans to tap into “community science” from tribal nations and other interest groups, in addition to relying on academic peer-reviewed research. As the agency shifts its enforcement focus from responding to complaints to proactively initiating its own investigations, the EPA plans to fund “community scientists” to supply evidence of what it calls environmental racism and other corporate practices to be targeted for federal investigation.
  • The Smithsonian Institution is embedding diversity and equity in “everything we do” across the labs and collections that make up the world’s largest museum complex. The Smithsonian has, like other agencies, enthroned a Head Diversity Officer position to coordinate these efforts, and will refocus its energies to explore “how race has informed all our lives” and affirm “the centrality of race in America.”

The Equity Action Plans are a response to an executive order President Biden signed on his first day of office in January 2021, committing his administration to pursuing “a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”

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Biden Covid Czar Says the Quiet Part Out Loud: “The Goal in My Mind is Not to Go Back to Normal, the Goal is to Build a Very Different New Normal”

Biden’s Covid Czar Dr. Ashish Jha on Friday said he doesn’t want life in the US to go back to normal.

Dr. Jha wants to build a ‘new normal’ that has “equity” at the heart of it.

The Biden Regime just says the quiet part out loud now.

“I’ve heard Secretary Cardona say this over and over again. You know, people do talk about going back to normal… and I’ve heard the secretary say, ‘well, you know, normal wasn’t working out so well every-for some people,” Jha said.

“So the goal in my mind is not to go back to normal, the goal is to build a very different new normal that has equity much more at the heart of it,” Dr. Jha said.

You gotta crack a few eggs…

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State spends half a BILLION dollars pushing ‘diversity’ and ‘equity’

The Democratic-controlled state of California spent millions on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the past several years, according to a report released Tuesday.

The report by The Center for Organizational Research and Education (CORE), a consumer protection nonprofit, examined about 400 public records requests to local and state governments as well as K-12 school districts and higher education institutions. California spent roughly $497 million on DEI activities between mostly 2020 and 2022 and years prior, according to CORE.

“DEI spending is out of control,” Will Coggin, a researcher for CORE, said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The people of California are footing the bill for diversity consultants, equity authors, and inclusion officials to rake in millions. With hundreds of millions already spent and potentially billions more to come, it’s a feeding frenzy funded by taxpayers.”

For instance, California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife spent close to $50,000 for “racial equity” workshops and trainings for employees between 2019 and 2021, according to the report. The state’s Department of Conservation spent around $180,000 on DEI initiatives for the fiscal years 2020 and 2021, the report says.

President Joe Biden issued an executive order in June 2021 requiring federal agencies implement DEI training and race-conscious hiring practices. DEI is often linked to Critical Race Theory, which holds that America is systemically racist and that people must view social interactions in terms of race.

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Biden Administration Wants To Force Public Charter Schools To Select Students By Race

The Biden administration has quietly released a proposal for a new administrative rule that will require charter schools to prove their commitment to far-left politics or risk losing federal funding. 

A 14-page proposal published by the U.S. Department of Education on March 14 — with the public comment period closing on Wednesday — makes it clear that the Biden administration will make it more difficult for charter schools to open and cripple those already in existence.

The proposal includes a detailed list of requirements that charters will have to meet before they can receive funding, along with guidelines they will have to follow to continue keeping doors open. 

One of the requirements facing charter schools, should this proposal pass, is requiring partnership with at least one “traditional” public school in their area. Greedy teachers unions will be thrilled with this arrangement, as charters will be on the hook to help provide things like curriculum, “professional development opportunities,” and a “shared transportation system” with their public partner, not to mention providing for the students already in their care.

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Feds to offer sweeping racial justice plan

Federal agencies are unveiling sweeping plans on Thursday as part of a government-wide effort by the Biden administration to ensure racial minorities and other underserved communities have equal access to government resources.  

The plans are more than a year in the making, triggered by an executive order on advancing racial justice and equity that President Biden signed on his first day in office last year. More than 90 agencies are releasing equity plans that were the product of internal assessments by each agency, a senior administration official told reporters.  

The official said that the plans in sum include 300 strategies and commitments. Among them, the Labor Department plans to launch a new initiative to help workers of color overcome barriers in accessing unemployment insurance benefits.  

The Environmental Protection Agency will shift from responding to civil rights complaints to beginning civil rights reviews proactively. The Pentagon plans to work with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to diversify its artificial intelligence workforce.  

The Department of Homeland Security also plans to focus on making sure transgender Americans are treated fairly in airport screenings.

And the Justice Department will improve language access to its programs so that Americans who are not proficient in English can more easily report crimes and access the department’s resources. 

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Federal investigation launched into MBA program that excludes white males

The Department of Education has opened two investigations into the University of Louisville and Howard University for possible discrimination against white men.

The federal investigation by the Office for Civil Rights stems from a program that Yum! Brands offers to help increase the representation of women and racial minorities in the franchise restaurant industry. The company operates Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut.

Professor Mark Perry, who frequently files Title IX and Title VI complaints, shared the OCR letters with The College Fix. Title IX of the Civil Rights Act prohibits higher education institutions from discriminating on the basis of sex, while Title VI prohibits racial discrimination.

The Fix contacted OCR attorneys Bradley Moore and Arati Jani on March 23 to ask for an update on the investigations but did not receive a response.

The two universities joined with the fast food corporation to create the Yum! Franchise Accelerator MBA program at the University of Louisville.

The Kentucky university teamed up with the corporation in 2021 to “unlock opportunity in the franchising industry and create a level playing field for the underrepresented people of color and women.” The program is part of a broader investment in helping everyone, except white men, learn about business.

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Biden to request $2.6B to promote gender equity worldwide

President Biden will request $2.6 billion for foreign assistance programs that promote general equality worldwide, he announced on International Women’s Day on Tuesday.

The funds will be part of his fiscal 2023 budget request to Congress and will double the amount requested for gender programs last year.

“On this day and every day, let us recognize that all of us have a better future when women and girls can reach their full potential — and together, let’s renew our efforts to advance dignity, equality, and limitless possibilities for all,” Biden said in a statement. 

The president said International Women’s Day is a time to recognize the achievements of women and girls, celebrate progress, and recommit to work that needs to be done.

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