Massachusetts state gov't funnels tens of thousands into systemic racism seminar

The Massachusetts state government gave tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to Framingham State University for a “racial equity” event.

According to a press release from Framingham State, the school was awarded $62,250 from the Massachusetts Higher Education Innovation Fund to “coordinate a multi-day Racial Equity Policy Review Institute for up to 150 leaders within the campus community.”

[RELATED: Five top law schools partner with alumni to create ‘Social Justice Legal Foundation’]

Participants “will gain a better understanding of systemic racism in higher education and how it manifests on campus; be able to define what a racist policy is and how it shows up in student outcomes; and create an initial yearlong plan to undertake policy review.”

Framingham State President F. Javier Cevallos thanked Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker for the funds, stating that “we are never going to be able to close racial opportunity gaps until we address policies that limit the self-determination of students of color.”

[RELATED: ‘Anti-racism’ advocates come for the books]

The Racial Equity Policy Review Institute springs from the Framingham State University STEM Racial Equity Institute — a similar program founded three years ago using a $1 million private grant. Participants spent five weeks “learning about a range of issues pertaining to race and equity with the goal of developing professional skills and pedagogy to actively fight racism through their work as faculty.”

The Massachusetts Higher Education Innovation Fund was originally launched by the state legislature in 2012 to “achieve the strategic goals of the Massachusetts public higher education system.” 

Campus Reform reached out to Framingham State University for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft