Why does Trump administration want to whitewash ethnic graduations, diversity efforts? | Opinion

When he was being recruited by Ernesto Martínez in 1997 to succeed him as director of Fresno State’s Mexican folkloric dance troupe, Víctor Torres was awestruck when the two went to Bulldog Stadium to watch the Chicano/Latino Commencement Ceremony.

There was mariachi music, folkloric dancers and a festive vibe that was missing from the university’s main commencement held earlier in the day.

“It was like nothing I’d ever seen before,” said Torres during a Monday interview. “I had never seen so many Latinos. I graduated from UC Irvine, we had like 30 (Latino graduates) go to a banquet.”

That scene convinced Torres to take the job as director of Los Danzantes de Atzlán. “There were like 300 students and thousands of people in the stands. The students were all happy and excited. I wanted to go to Fresno State and be a part of this.”

That celebration — and many others like it at community colleges, universities and some high schools — could be halted if the Trump administration has its say. Last Friday the federal Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights issued a letter prohibiting all race-based programming and spending at colleges and K-12 schools. Race-based scholarships, cultural centers and graduation ceremonies, like Fresno State’s Latino event, were declared illegal.

“What? What are we living in, man!” Torres said upon hearing about the letter from Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights. “I can’t believe this is happening in my lifetime!”

Torres is in the middle of organizing the 49th annual Chicano/Latino Commencement Ceremony, which now regularly draws more than 1,000 graduates and 13,000 family members to the Save Mart Center. Last year’s ceremony went viral when a Marine Corps band from San Diego had the arena dancing with two Mexican cumbias.

The Latino event, he said, is open to all students, regardless of race or national origin. In the past, Black and Hmong students have participated.

“I knew even before Trump that it’s illegal to have anything specifically like ‘No whites,’” said Torres. “Everybody is following that.”

In his four-page letter, Trainor used a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action in college admission as justification for ruling all race-conscious activities, spending and programming to be illegal.

“In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students,” he wrote. “These institutions’ embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia.”

Schools have until Feb. 28 to comply or risk losing federal funding.

Schools are analyzing the letter

Can an acting assistant secretary snatch billions of public dollars from colleges and schools that dare have programs that address needs of a diverse student body? Are ethnic studies doomed? How about migrant education? Or, the existence of a Latino faculty association?

Those are gray areas that may have to be determined by the courts. However, I can tell you that as a Latino I have never felt threatened by the existence of scholarships for Black students, ceremonies for LGBTQ+ grads, or an Armenian cultural center. Their success is our success, right?

I can see where local educational entities want their attorneys to analyze Trainor’s letter and see if their programs, scholarships and related activities are OK.

Their responses:

▪ California State University Chancellor’s Office: “The California State University is aware of the recent letter issued by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights regarding race-conscious student programming and DEI. As this type of action is unprecedented, we are consulting with the California Attorney General and higher education partners across the country to better understand the statewide impact of this letter.”

▪ Clovis Unified, which organizes conferences for Black, Latino, Asian American, and Native American students: “At this time we do not believe there is anything that needs to be changed about our existing systems and/or practices. Our student success conferences are open to anyone who wishes to attend and don’t fall into the areas specifically called out in the Department of Education memo. We are continuing to analyze information coming out of the Department of Education so we are up to date with the latest news.”

▪ Fresno Unified: “We did receive the letter and our teams are working with our attorneys to identify how this might affect our district.”

Could ethnic studies be targeted?

Torres wonders where such efforts will stop. Funding for ethnic studies departments? Programs that help students from disadvantaged backgrounds like Upward Bound or the Educational Opportunity Program?

Torres also notes that university funds are not used for the graduation ceremony. Donors raise the $35,000 to pay for rental of the Save Mart Center, security and other expenses.

Meanwhile, Torres continues to prepare for the May 17 Latino ceremony, the last of six affinity graduation ceremonies scheduled that day. In previous years, his biggest concern was how to deal with an overflow crowd. Now, he wants a low-key event that doesn’t draw national attention, like last year when a video went viral of graduates and others dancing when the Marine band played “Mil Hora” (“Thousand Hours”).

People gushed about the video, some saying they want to attend Fresno State to be a part of that celebration. It’s a shame that a graduation ceremony that has helped burnish Fresno State’s image nationally is all of a sudden a bad thing.

I just don’t believe Trainor’s thinking that “educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices.”

I suggest Trainor — and others who think like him — attend a Latino graduation, sit in on a Black student success conference, or watch migrant students tear up as they reward a parent’s support by handing them a trophy or their diploma. Celebrating America’s diversity is not an evil act.

This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM.