UC San Diego Opens Scholarship to All Races After KKK Act Lawsuit

The University of California San Diego has rebranded and opened its Black Alumni Scholarship Fund to students of all races following a lawsuit challenging its race-based criteria under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. The Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative nonprofit, sued UCSD arguing that the scholarship, which was transferred to a private nonprofit but operated with university involvement, constituted discriminatory collusion violating civil rights laws. The scholarship, renamed the Goins Alumni Scholarship Fund, was previously restricted to Black students and had awarded over $1 million to more than 400 recipients, but now is accessible to all admitted students regardless of race. This legal action highlights a broader scrutiny of race-based initiatives in California, especially after the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action precedents and the Trump administration curtailed diversity programs. The case serves as a precedent that could affect similar programs nationwide, as many public universities attempt to circumvent race-based restrictions by outsourcing scholarships to private entities. UCSD's decision to change the scholarship terms and the foundation dropping the lawsuit were hailed by the plaintiffs as a reaffirmation of constitutional equality before the law.