Lawsuit: Hispanic Scholarship Fund Illegally Discriminates

"A new lawsuit argues the Hispanic Scholarship Fund—a nonprofit that says it has provided more than $756 million in scholarships over its 50-year history—is illegally restricting its funding to Hispanics and Latinos. The litigation seeks to bar HSF "from knowing or considering ethnicity in any way" in its Scholars Program. HSF, which didn't return requests for comment Thursday, says on its website that it provides $500 to $5,000 scholarships, among other benefits, to 10,000 students annually."

"The American Alliance for Equal Rights filed the suit Wednesday against HSF in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, saying it has non-Hispanic members "who are ready and able to apply for HSF's program but cannot because of their ethnicity." Two such unnamed members are Asian American and white, the group said. "The program bans Blacks, Asians, and Native Americans that aren't Hispanic," the American Alliance notes. "But it welcomes whites that are.""

""The HSF Scholars Program is a contract that offers applicants a chance at a lucrative scholarship if they agree to HSF's terms, assent to its privacy policy, draft several essays, and sign a binding pledge," the suit says. It goes on to allege that HSF's terms of use, which applicants must agree to, specifically say, "This is a contract between you and HSF.""

A federal lawsuit filed by the American Alliance for Equal Rights alleges that the Hispanic Scholarship Fund restricts its Scholars Program to Hispanics and Latinos, excluding non-Hispanic applicants. The complaint says HSF provides $500 to $5,000 scholarships and serves about 10,000 students annually and has distributed over $756 million over 50 years. The suit asserts that the Scholars Program constitutes a contract because applicants assent to terms, a privacy policy, essays, and a binding pledge, and that HSF's terms explicitly state "This is a contract between you and HSF." The lawsuit contends that limiting contracts by ethnicity violates the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs