Upon the string of agencies, companies and more canceling their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Rutgers University has seemingly joined the bandwagon. However, Black students, in particular, will bear the burden of this particular decision.
The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions announced they were asked to cancel their HBCUs and Registered Apprenticeship Mini-Conference planned for this week. The center said they had been asked to cease all work under the auspices of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility HUB at Jobs for the Future, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, the statement read.
“We have so much happening at the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions, and we can’t wait to engage with you in the future,” the statement read, adding that regular programs and opportunities may still be accessible.
A spokesperson said the decision was a result of President Donald J. Trump’s orders from the White House to cancel DEI programs or what he called “illegal policies” that “violate the civil rights” of Americans. Federal government agencies, financial institutions, airlines, law enforcement and high education institutions were all targets for his executive order.
“They also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system,” the president said.
The school’s event was intended to allow HBCU students to learn more about how to get into apprenticeships, per NJ.com. Some panelists including Tammi Ferguson, Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Education, were unable to participate because of the executive order to terminate federal workers who worked under DEI branches.
The decision wasn’t taken lightly. Local politicians reacted in disgust to how Trump’s policies have been rippling throughout the country.
“Rutgers, and any other schools preemptively pulling DEI programming, is an utter failure of courage in the face of political foolishness. We know better,” wrote Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on X.