Harvard Accused of Discrimination and Misuse of Federal Funds
WASHINGTON — A civil rights complaint was lodged against Harvard University by a conservative legal organization, alleging the institution is participating in unlawful racial and sexual discrimination while prioritizing over $49 million in taxpayer-supported diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
America First Legal, in collaboration with the Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights, asserts that the prestigious university is in violation of Title VI and Title IX of federal legislation, as well as President Trump’s executive orders and the US Supreme Court’s 2023 decision that banned race-based affirmative action.
Highlighted in the complaint is a $21.9 million grant awarded to Harvard Medical School’s Clinical and Translational Science Center, aimed at "training and diversifying" its workforce by focusing on “underrepresented” and “diverse” groups to tackle “health inequities.”
Additionally, a $1.7 million grant was given for research examining “climate factors, racial/ethnic disparities, and menstrual cycle health.”
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), whose civil rights office has previously criticized Harvard for showing a “deliberate indifference” to the harassment of Jewish and Israeli students, approved these funding initiatives. These grants have been disbursed since 2021 to the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university.
These financial approvals have met resistance from the Trump administration, which is actively working to eliminate antisemitism, race-based discrimination, and DEI projects on college campuses.
America First Legal is calling for “a formal investigation into Harvard Medical School’s admissions processes, scholarships, clerkships, residency pathways, associated residency programs, faculty recruitment, and research methodologies,” as detailed in its 26-page complaint.
Neither representatives from Harvard nor the DOJ’s Civil Rights division provided immediate responses to requests for comments.
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