Dear friends,
Today is Giving Tuesday and this has been the most important year in the more than quarter-century history of the Center for Equal Opportunity. As we continue our work opposing race-based policies by public institutions at all levels, we are asking for your help again. But first let me tell you about some of what we’ve been up to.
As you know, the milestone Supreme Court affirmative action cases SFFA vs Harvard and SFFA vs North Carolina officially made illegal and unconstitutional the use of race in college admissions. This was a signature win for CEO and the most important victory ever in the fight against affirmative action. The Center for Equal Opportunity played a major role in this battle (see our timeline).
CEO has just announced the creation of the After Affirmative Action (AAA) Network to follow up on the successes of the Harvard and North Carolina decisions. The AAA Network will be a watchdog effort led by CEO to help ensure compliance with the law in an environment where proponents of race-based preferences are already announcing massive resistance.
Take a look at some of CEO’s recent achievements in just the past year:
- CEO Civil Rights Fellowship. CEO completed its second annual legal fellowship this summer, hosting ten law students from some of the top law schools in the country for a week of activities and training in Washington, D.C. They received instruction at a series of seminars with many of the best legal and policy minds in America and media training to prepare a new generation to speak out on colorblind principles.
- Studies on use of race and ethnicity. CEO released several studies in 2022-23, including “What Should Matter in College Admissions: A Comparison of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian Opinion” and “Racial and Preferences in Undergraduate Admissions to the University of Maryland.” Links to our studies and amicus briefs can be found at www.ceousa.org.
- Court cases. CEO filed briefs in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC, the milestone affirmative action cases that banned race as a factor in college admissions. We coordinated our efforts with allies and appealed to the Court in media appearances and op-eds. CEO also filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting petitioners in the case of Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board (the Board). The case involves a challenge to the racially discriminatory overhaul of the admissions practices at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, VA. CEO urges the Court to take the case and expand on its position in the Fair Admissions case.
- Battling Critical Race Theory. CEO has played a significant role in the fight against Critical Race Theory (CRT), a controversial doctrine that asserts that all institutions are infected by racism. CEO staff have written about these issues in major publications, discussed them on national TV, radio, podcasts, in front of live audiences at colleges and universities, and have consistently flagged the issue for conservative media.
- Media efforts. CEO published op-eds in, among others, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Bulwark, Townhall.com, National Review, Persuasion, and Real Clear Politics. We made appearances on FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and interviewed on NPR, Monocle News, and dozens of national and local radio stations. Our staff is regularly interviewed by local and national media on issues of race and ethnicity.
- Coordinating our efforts with other organizations. CEO president and general counsel Devon Westhill coordinates our efforts with the Federalist Society, Heritage Foundation, Pacific Legal Foundation, and other organizations on a regular basis. CEO chairman and founder Linda Chavez chairs the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project Working Group on Race and Sex, and CEO board member Roger Clegg is a member as is CEO senior fellow Stuart Taylor. CEO has also been active with the Title IX Council. CEO has joined several other prominent organizations in signing onto a project of the Philanthropy Roundtable to promote “True Diversity.” Unlike the left’s definition of diversity—which means preferences for some on the basis of skin color—the principles CEO has endorsed include valuing each individual and seeking diverse perspectives. CEO also joined the Heritage Foundation 2025 Presidential Transition Project.
Clearly, without CEO, there would be a huge gap in the fight for colorblind equal opportunity and your donations make all of this possible. Please consider making a gift to the Center for Equal Opportunity today on Giving Tuesday as we fight to ensure the America of the future will uphold the principle of E Pluribus Unum.
We truly appreciate all your support.
Linda Chavez
Chairman
