Civil rights concerns grow over Harvard’s support of race-based alumni group

Legal experts have warned that Harvard University may be violating federal civil rights law by hosting the Harvard Black Alumni Society (HBAS) on its official website.

The HBAS describes itself in its mission statement as a nonprofit offering opportunities for black Harvard alumni to connect, support one another, and aid current and future students. Although technically a separate organization, the group’s presence on Harvard’s “harvard.edu” domain has raised questions under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in federally funded programs.

Cornell Law School professor William Jacobson told the Washington Free Beacon that Harvard’s involvement appears sufficient to trigger federal scrutiny.

“The use of the school website, the hosting on the school website, the promotion by the school, is probably enough to render this a Harvard program such that it would fall under the DOJ guidelines,” Jacobson said. “That clearly crosses a line.”

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Jacobson added that even if the HBAS does not explicitly bar non-Black alumni, its race-centered orientation could discourage participation and amount to unlawful discrimination. “Even if you don’t physically bar somebody from attending on the basis of race, if you signal that an event or program is only open to certain races … that also can be a violation,” he said.

Other legal scholars share similar concerns. Pacific Legal Foundation senior attorney Anastasia Boden and Mountain States Legal Foundation general counsel William Trachman both argued that Harvard’s support of the group may constitute an improper endorsement of race-based programming.

HBAS offers exclusive benefits, including a members-only job board advertised in its newsletter. The group has hosted more than a dozen professional networking events this year, offering alumni opportunities not extended to the broader Harvard community.

The questions over Harvard’s support for HBAS come as the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), Harvard’s accreditor, is considering removing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) language from its accreditation standards. NECHE president Lawrence Schall described the move as a response to federal guidance, calling recent changes among “the most dramatic regime shifts” in higher education oversight.

[RELATED: Harvard accreditor considers pulling DEI from standards amid federal pressure]

The potential policy change at NECHE reflects a broader reassessment of DEI initiatives across higher education as federal agencies scrutinize whether race-conscious programs align with civil rights law.

Campus Reform reached out to Harvard University and the Harvard Black Alumni Society for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.