Ezidore remains committed to DEI in face of mandated reductions

In response to Thursday's mandate by the Trump Administration to districts that they certify the stoppage of "the use of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ("DEI") programs to advantage one's race over another" within 10 days or lose access to Federal Funds, Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) Board of Education President Triston Ezidore made it clear that he was prepared to continue supporting DEI initiatives.

The U.S. Department of Education also released a "Reminder of Legal Obligations Undertaken in Exchange for Receiving Federal Financial Assistance" certification document along with Thursday's mandate. Within the document is the legal justification for the mandate, mainly centered around Section 601 of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that states "[n]o person...shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

While originally described by the Associated Press as a mandate to "certify that [districts] are following federal civil rights laws and eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices," the article was later changed to indicated the mandate targets "discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion practices."

It uses a precedent the U.S. Supreme Court set in the 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (SFFA v. Harvard) case. The ruling on this case established that race-based affirmative action in schools is considered unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The precedent cited in the Supreme Court's decision, as ruled by former Supreme Court Associate Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. in Regents of Univ. of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978), states that "remedying...the effects of 'societal discrimination' was an insufficient reason to implement affirmative action under Title VI because it is 'an amorphous concept of injury that may be ageless in its reach into the past.'"

While other Board of Education members deferred to Superintendent Dr. Brian Lucas due to concerns over the Brown Act, Ezidore felt the need to speak out with his own voice against the policy.

Lucas told Culver Crescent that the California State Department of Education is evaluating that order, and that District staff working closely with CDE as it develops an appropriate response.

"In the meantime, CCUSD remains committed to providing a workplace and a learning environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination as we remain focused on serving our students in the best way possible," Lucas said. "That is always our No. 1 priority.

On the other hand, Ezidore blasted the mandate, calling the move to force K-12 schools to abandon DEI policies as "overly authoritarian, draconian, and frankly weird AF [sic]."

"Diversity, equity, and inclusion are crucial for creating environments where all students can thrive," Ezidore said in a statement to Culver Crescent, "and it's alarming to think that federal funding could be withheld for prioritizing these principles."

Ezidore has demonstrated a willingness to fight for the values he championed in his role on the Board of Education. When he was elected in 2022 at 19, Ezidore was the youngest elected official in Los Angeles County history. He was motivated to run by a need to continue advancing educational equity for students of different backgrounds.

"I heard about people who would run to bring us backward and dismantle all of the equity and social, racial justice we as a community accomplished over the years," Ezidore told The Argonaut in 2022 about his decision to run for the Board.

When cuts were discussed in February, he held a rally in support of maintaining the DEI positions in Culver City and remains committed to his belief in the meaning behind DEI policies.

"If the Trump-Musk Administration wants to punish school districts for acknowledging systematic racism and choosing to do right by all students," Ezidore said, "I'll be ready to see them in court."

But the fight may be more difficult than at first glance. Loyola Marymount Professor of Political Science and International Relations Michael A. Genovese did not provide any potential legal path that CCUSD could take individually to fight the mandate, but said that districts could come together under a common banner to try to challenge the mandate.

"Culver City, if it intends to stand up to Trump, needs to partner with other school districts," Genovese said, "to build a coalition of school districts with similar goals and concerns.

However, there are challenges to the basis of the claim behind the mandate. The National Teachers' Union American Federation of Teachers is suing over a Feb. 14 memo that establishes the Trump Administration's position on DEI programs, arguing it is in violation of both the First and Fifth Amendment.

Other states have also pushed back on the mandate through means like letters sent to the U.S. Department of Education by the New York Education Office and Minnesota Education Commissioner arguing that DEI programs are legal and informing the federal government that no further certification will come.

“Threats to this funding without backing in law or established requirements put key programs at risk that students and schools depend on every day,” Minnesota Education Commissioner Willie Jett told the Associated Press.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include comments from CCUSD Superintendent Brian Lucas.