Dear CEO supporters,
When the Center for Equal Opportunity welcomed new leadership a year ago, we promised you CEO would not just continue our many critical battles in the fight against race-based policies in government, education, and employment, but also take on important new challenges as well. Our staff and board have been busy ensuring we keep that promise and want to update you on those efforts.
Inaugural Young Legal Fellows Program
This month, CEO announced the launch of our new Civil Rights Fellowship. The first-of-its-kind program is being led by CEO president Devon Westhill, who has much experience in developing and inspiring young talent. We are excited at the opportunity to give aspiring lawyers instruction in civil rights case law, enforcement practices, and public policy. The bench of conservative talent in the area of race policy is extremely thin, hampering conservative efforts to push back against the race-conscious excesses of the radical Left. This is a unique program in which aspiring conservative leaders can be groomed to take on roles in our fight for race-neutral public policy.
Seminars will be led by former government officials, law and policy experts, litigators, and other opinion leaders. Fellows will receive media training on writing op-eds, engaging on social media, and making the most of media interviews. The fellowship will take place Tuesday, August 9 – Friday, August 12 in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the project and send potential applicants here to apply.
Overturning SCOTUS Precedent Permitting the use of Race in College Admissions
CEO has been preparing for what is certain to be a milestone in the fight for colorblind equal opportunity. Last month, we applauded the decision by the Supreme Court of the Unites States to grant certiorari in the consolidated cases of Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC. We had urged the court to take the case in amicus briefs we joined in each case, coordinated our efforts with allies, and appealed to the Court in media appearances and op-eds.
For the first time since the Fisher v. University of Texascases of 2013 and 2016, we are thrilled the Court agreed it was time to re-examine the legality of racial preferences in college admissions.
As CEO chairman Linda Chavez noted in our press release applauding the Court’s decision: “These cases give lie to the notion that racial preferences hurt no one and redound only to the benefit of racial and ethnic minorities. Asian students have been especially harmed by preferences that favor one group over another in the name of diversity. It is time that we end picking winners and losers on the basis of the color of their skin.”
Mr. Westhill added: “The Supreme Court’s likeliness to reign-in race preferences in college admissions—as a practice that has proven in study after study after study to cause grievous harm to college applicants of every racial and ethnic background—can serve as a major pivot back toward colorblind equal opportunity.”
We will keep you updated on our ongoing efforts in what promises to be a landmark case.
Fighting in the Court of Public Opinion
CEO has continued delivering our message to a nationwide audience, appearing on cable news and network programs, local and national radio shows, podcasts, and more. Just this week, Ms. Chavez appeared on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper and has been a guest on other several other radio and national TV programs of late, including her regular appearances on PBS’s To the Contrary. Check out her weekly guest spot every Friday on the Beg To Differ podcast hosted by Mona Charen, available on iTunes and anywhere where podcasts can be downloaded.
Ms. Chavez was recently interviewed on the international radio program Monocle 24 on the state of American politics and quoted on the role of federalism by veteran political reporter Ron Brownstein in his article on CNN.com, “Why States Rights are having a Republican revival“.
Mr. Westhill has been all over the media landscape sounding the alarm on the Left’s radical civil rights agenda and articulating CEO’s common-sense message of colorblind equal opportunity. He appeared on the Jim Bohannon show to discuss the Harvard/UNC case; made his usual weekly appearances on the nationally syndicated Lars Larson show, discussing important issues such as what the SCOTUS affirmative action hearing means for the future, who gets to join the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (and who doesn’t), whether the Biden administration should make it difficult for students to invoke Title IX, and rightfully defending Georgetown University professor Ilya Shapiro after the firestorm over his criticism of President Biden’s pledge to choose a Black woman for the Supreme Court.
Last month, on the first anniversary of the Biden/Harris Administration, Mr. Westhill moderated the Federalist Society webinar Litigation Update: Investigating Title VI and Title IX Complaints. He has also continued writing op-eds on our issues and is often quoted prominently by reporters in new stories, including this recent report in Diverse Issues in Higher Education. As he said in the article: “It’s been 40 years now that the Supreme Court has permitted the use of race preferences in university and college admissions. So, it’s not hyperbole to say that this is really an incredible opportunity for the Supreme Court to vindicate the principle of racial equality and ban the use of racial preferences.”
Battling Critical Race Theory and Cancel Culture in Education and the Public Square
CEO is fiercely challenging CRT by publishing articles, producing a major analysis explaining the history, concepts and dangers of CRT, participating in conferences and more. This upcoming Tuesday, February 15th, Mr. Westhill will participate in a virtual debate on the constitutionality of Critical Race Theory and race-based-curriculum in K-12 schools at the Chicago-Kent law school. The event, sponsored by the Federalist Society, Black Law Students Association, and American Constitution Society, will be livestreamed at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. Check it out by joining Zoom Meeting ID: 356 527 2642
We continue to speak out against “cancel culture” in education, social media, and in the public square. Last week, CEO Executive Director Rudy Gersten was quoted in the Washington Post and elsewhere on the NFL’s former Washington Redskins changing their name to Commanders.The decision is affecting many thousands of fans, who are now being told by social justice warriors to rid their wardrobes and collectibles of anything that dare display the 82-year old former name of the once-proud NFL franchise, a name that polls showed more than 90% of Native Americans did not find offensive. We will continue to speak out against the increasing hostility of cancel culture and the Left’s attacks on ordinary Americans.
CEO Board of Directors welcomes new member
Last week, CEO’s Board elected John Agresto as its newest member. Dr. Agresto is a long-time professor of American history, politics, and political thought and a retired president of St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. He was also the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education in Iraq and subsequently chancellor and academic dean at the American University of Iraq, which he helped found. He is the author or editor of over a half-dozen books and his newest book on the decline of liberal arts education is slated to come out in the summer of 2022 (Encounter Press). We are excited to bring him aboard.
CEO board member Rosalie Porter recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Palm Beach Post on the topic of identity politics, which we think you’ll get a kick out of. Additionally, fellow CEO director Stuart Taylor’s important work on racial preferences was cited in Dr. Ben Carson’s piece in the Washington Examiner. You can read more about Agresto, Porter, Taylor, as well as longtime CEO president and general counsel, Roger Clegg, and our other valuable directors Jason Riley and John Miller on our website.
CEO couldn’t exist without the work of our staff, board, allies and most importantly, our supporters. Because of you, we will continue keeping our promise to fight against race-based policies as long as they exist while taking on new challenges as they arise. We can’t thank you enough for all your support.
Hope you have a safe and happy Super Bowl weekend and Valentine’s Day.
Rudy Gersten
Executive Director
