YAF files civil rights complaint over Embry-Riddle poster censorship
Young America’s Foundation has filed a civil rights complaint against Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for prohibiting the school’s chapter from mentioning DEI in its promotional materials for an event.
This marks the second complaint filed against the school for blocking several of the group’s planned events.
A conservative student organization is taking action against a university for repeatedly censoring its speech and activities.
Young America’s Foundation has filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over the university’s censorship of its chapter’s promotional materials.
The school’s YAF chapter submitted a poster advertising an event featuring Lt. Col. Allen West for approval, but was told it would need to be edited due to the poster’s stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The school notified the chapter leader, Benjamin Isbell, that the poster could not include statements such as “DEI IS RACISM” and it could not mention that West intended to speak against DEI.
Isbell submitted updated versions three times, writing instead “What is DEI?,” saying that West would speak “about DEI” instead of “against DEI,” and then changing it to “What is racism?” and that he would speak “against racism.” On the final attempt, he included a red “CENSORED” label on the poster with the words “This is a violation of free speech and is hostile to our free, democratic society.”
All of the revisions were rejected by the university.
YAF filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging the school violated civil rights laws and Trump administration executive orders banning DEI in institutions of higher education.
Earlier this year, YAF accused the school of instituting “a totalitarian Speech Ban” that only applied to the school’s chapter. It said the school prohibited the group from engaging in pro-Israel activism on campus while allowing leftist students to celebrate the “Day of Trans Visibility.”
The group also included an open letter to the university’s president that pointed out the school blocked seven activism events planned by the chapter, including a “9/11: Never Forget” memorial and a “Biology Basics activism project.”
These prior instances of censorship led YAF to file another civil rights complaint earlier this year.
All relevant parties have been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
