When the Wisconsin State Assembly recently deliberated on a proposal to eliminate race as a qualifying condition for a state-sponsored college scholarship program, opponents labeled it a racist action.
“What it is is racism in its highest institutional level,” said Rep. Tamara Grigsby, D-Milwaukee….
Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, called the proposal a “racist race to the bottom”…
But others argued that race should not matter.
Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia, defended the proposal, saying the point of the Talent Incentive Program grants were intended to target poor students. Whether you also are a minority shouldn’t matter, he said.
The scholarship program targets “nontraditional’ students.
Applicants must be poor and a nontraditional student. To be a nontraditional student, the applicant must meet one of several criteria including being in prison, a first-generation college attendee or black, Indian, Hispanic or Hmong.
The administrator of the scholarship program claims it has actually not used race as a qualifier since last year as a result of a formal complaint. However, a check on the official Wisconsin website still shows race as a criteria.
The proposal passed the Assembly, and is awaiting a hearing in the Senate planned for next year.
