Education Dept to open civil rights probe into UC Berkeley allegedly banning white people from farm
"We envision a vibrant community farm, a model of shared governance and co-stewardship that helps restore community resilience," the farm's website reads.
The Department of Education is looking into an allegation that the University of California at Berkeley is prohibiting white residents from using a community farm on Saturdays.
The department's Office for Civil Rights said the agency does not comment on pending investigations. However, a Berkeley spokesperson told Just the News the university will be cooperating with the probe but offered no further comment.
The complaint was file by the nonprofit law firm Mountain States Legal Foundation, which on Tuesday said the department was looking into the allegation.
General counsel for the group, William Trachman, said a whistleblower came forward and alleged the university-ownedGill Tract Community Farm offered its space and services only to black, indigenous and people of color on Saturdays.
The farm was launched in 2013 as a partnership between the university and different neighborhoods in the area, according to The New York Post.
"We envision a vibrant community farm, a model of shared governance and co-stewardship that helps restore community resilience," the farm's website reads.
Trachman said recently on the "Furthermore with Amanda Head" podcast the whistleblower believes in the farm's mission statement but doesn't support the alleged discrimination.
Biden picks another legal fight with AG Bailey, DEI ruins farming, Michael Markey runs for US HouseBiden picks another legal fight with AG Bailey, DEI ruins farming, Michael Markey runs for US House
Biden picks another legal fight with AG Bailey, DEI ruins farming, Michael Markey runs for US House
On this episode, Amanda Head talks with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey about his legal efforts to thwart President Joe Biden from being able to sneak in a new student loan debt forgiveness plan before the 2024 elections. The attorney general said this pending program, “is a redistribution of wealth from cultural elites who decided to go to college and take out loans.” Attorney General Bailey went on to say Biden’s new plan is ‘unconstitutional and illegal’ and that he’s going to put a stop to it again, going as far as saying he will, “hold them in contempt of court if [the Biden Administration] won’t obey the lawful orders of the United States Supreme Court.” General Bailey also gives an update on other important court cases like Murthy v. Missouri (formerly Missouri v. Biden), as well as on his suit filed against Media Matters.
Later, Amanda Head talks with William Trachman about how the push for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within educational institutions has potentially ruined community farming at the University of California at Berkeley. The former Trump-appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights for the Department of Education, now, General Counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation talks about the importance of his complaint against the school, and why, “all public institutions, including universities, respect the equal dignity and rights of all Americans, regardless of skin color or any other protected class.”
Finally, Amanda dives into the world of campaign politics with a Republican Congressional candidate running in a targeted U.S. House race in the battleground state of Michigan. Michael Markey Jr. of Grand Haven bills himself as a “disrupter, father, and entrepreneur.” He and Amanda dive into the importance of securing our border and ensuring no American has to live through what Laken Riley and Ruby Garcia’s families had to. Although in a somewhat crowded primary which will be decided by West Michigan voters on August 6th, Markey is edging out his competition along the campaign trail and is hoping to replace former Obama Justice Department official and incumbent Democrat Congresswoman Hillary Scholten.
Be sure to follow Amanda Head on all social media platforms by searching her handle: @AmandaHead
"That person who shall remain nameless reached out to us and sent us the documents that proved that Saturdays were [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] Only days," he said. "So we filed a complaint. Not a lawsuit, but a complaint."
Trachman previously served in the Department of Education as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights and has clerked on the circuit court.
"As a public institution, UC Berkeley is bound by federal civil rights and anti-discrimination laws, and the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution," the group says.