George Floyd Memorial Scholarship: A Beacon of Hope for Black Students Is Threatened By Legal Challenge from Conservative Group Who Claims It’s Discriminatory
A college scholarship aimed at supporting young Black students — named after the late George Floyd — faces a legal complaint from a conservative nonprofit organization, alleging racial discrimination based on eligibility requirements.
But university officials created the scholarship to boost the next generation of Black leaders following the tragic death of Floyd, who died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer who was later convicted in his killing.
The George Floyd Memorial Scholarship at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was established in 2020 “to contribute toward the educational promise of aspiring young black American leaders,” according to a press release.
North Central University President Scott Hagan announced the creation of the scholarship during the Minneapolis memorial service for Floyd on June 4, 2020, calling on other universities in the nation to follow suit.
“Far beyond North Central University, I am now challenging every university president in the United States of America to establish your own George Floyd Memorial Scholarship Fund, so people across this nation can give to the college of their choice,” Hagan said at the time. “It is time to invest like never before in a new generation of young black Americans who are poised and ready to take leadership in our nation. So, university presidents, let’s step up together.”
About four years later, the Legal Insurrection Foundation filed a civil rights complaint on March 25 with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights in late March. The group argues that the scholarship violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
With the scholarship only open to students who are Black or African-American, the foundation claims that this discriminates against non-Black students, including those who identify as white, Hispanic, or Asian.
The scholarship is still accepting applications for the 2024-25 academic school year, and the recipient will be selected by June, a press release stated. As for eligibility, scholarship applicants must “be a student who is Black or African American, that is, a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.” Students who do not meet the racial category are deemed ineligible for the scholarship.
Hagan announced the scholarship at Floyd’s memorial service, stating, “it is time to invest like never before in a new generation of young Black Americans who are poised and ready to take leadership in our nation. So, university presidents, let’s step up together.”
Ameer Benno and William Jacobson, who are attorneys for the organization, said in the complaint, “we bring this civil rights complaint against North Central University for creating, supporting and promoting the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship – an undergraduate scholarship that engages in invidious discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin.”
The foundation has called on the federal government to open an investigation into the university’s allegations of discrimination.
“The Office for Civil Rights has the power and obligation to investigate NCU’s role in participating in, sponsoring, supporting and promoting the GFMS – and to discern whether NCU is engaging in such discrimination in its other activities – and to impose whatever remedial relief is necessary to hold it accountable for that unlawful conduct,” the complaint states.
“This includes, if necessary, imposing fines, initiating administrative proceedings to suspend or terminate federal financial assistance and referring the case to the Department of Justice for judicial proceedings to enforce the rights of the United States under federal law.”
It’s unclear if North Central University has responded to the allegations and the university did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.