The College Fix

Civil rights activist criticizes program aimed specifically at black women

A University of Colorado at Boulder graduate program advertised for “Black women” is facing a federal civil rights complaint.

The “Boulder Black Blossoms” program at the university’s Office of Graduate Access and Retention “aims to support the lived and individual experiences and achievements of Black women.” Participants in “Boulder Black Blossoms” receive a $1,000 stipend. The program is currently accepting applications for the upcoming academic year.

University administrators established the program last fall.

The description notes anyone can participate in the program regardless of race or sex, but longtime civil rights activist Mark Perry says this claim rings false when compared to other descriptions and content on the program’s website.

Perry, a senior fellow at Do No Harm as well as the Equal Protection Project, filed the complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Denver after The College Fix asked for comment on the program.

“This is clearly a racially segregated program for Black female students that also excludes and discriminates against male students,” Perry told The Fix. He went on to call the university’s statement that the program is open to all students “legal fig leaves.”

Perry filed a complaint against the university with the Office for Civil Rights’ Denver office on Saturday, June 12, which he forwarded to The Fix the same day.

Specifically, Perry argues that the name of the program alone is cause for concern because it emphasizes a group of people based solely on their race. The rest of the website includes references to the program’s aims, such as “uplifting Black women,” to “support the advancement of Black women,” and “[t]o create a supportive network that celebrates and empowers Black women.”

The website’s promotional materials only include pictures of black women. Perry notes all sixteen “Blossoms” for 2024-2025, whose pictures are included on the website, are black women.

Perry also points to past descriptions from the university and a statement from university regent Wanda James confirming his suspicion that the program racially discriminates.

An August 2024 newsletter stated:

Boulder Black Blossoms aims to promote an uplifting, supportive and reflective space [exclusively] for individuals who self-identify as Black (Black culture refers to the diverse range of customs, traditions, beliefs, practices, art forms, languages and social behaviors that have emerged from the experiences and contributions of people of African descent) and [exclusively for] women (different from female, woman is a social construct emphasizes gender over biological sex) and are enrolled in one of CU Boulder’s STEM department or School of Education graduate programs. Participants who complete the program will receive a $1,000 compensation.

Perry added the “exclusively” in brackets.

The survey link to start the application also begins with language making clear the program is only for black women. It describes Boulder Blossoms as “a supportive Sista Circle dedicated to breaking barriers and empowering Black women in STEM.”

The Fix asked the Office of Graduate Access and Retention twice in the past four days asking about Perry’s assertions, but did not receive a response.

Meanwhile, top university spokeswoman Nicole Mueksch did not address questions about the legality of the program and simply restated the language found on the Black Blossoms website.

“As stated on the program’s website, the University of Colorado’s Boulder Black Blossoms program is open to all CU Boulder graduate students in STEM or Education and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, political philosophy, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in accordance with state, federal, and Regent law,” Mueksch wrote to The Fix.

She left out the opening sentence on the website, which states: “Boulder Black Blossoms aims to support the lived and individual experiences and achievements of Black women.”

The Fix called the school’s two top attorneys, Elvie Henson and Michelle Krech, asking similar questions about legality on Tuesday morning. Neither responded to voicemails or emails.

In comments about the program made to The Fix, Perry questioned the previous presidential administration’s decision to accept what he calls “legal fig leaves” against civil rights sanctions.

“It is my opinion that those phony disclaimers have been added recently by University of Colorado lawyers to provide legal cover for its intent to continue to operate a Black-female-only group while pretending to be an ‘inclusive group’ and protect against a legal challenge,” Perry said.

“Unfortunately, based on my experience filing nearly 1,000 federal civil rights complaints, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) under the Biden administration ruled in many similar cases that adding disingenuous ‘legal fig leaves’ was acceptable and allowed schools to continue discriminating with the OCR’s blessing,” he said.

The Trump administration, Perry says, will “hopefully” see these “legal fig leaves” are “dishonest” and “deceitful.”

MORE: 101 campus cancel culture incidents this latest school year

INSIDE IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: The first photo shows a screenshot from CU Boulder’s Office of Graduate Access and Retention; CU Boulder. Second photo is a screenshot of Regent Wanda James celebrating the program that only allows black women to participate; Wanda James/LinkedIn

MAIN IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: The 2024-25 winners of the ‘Boulder Black Blossoms’ program; Wanda James/LinkedIn

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