The United for Equality and Affirmative Action Legal Defense Fund (UEAALDF) is a left-of-center nonprofit that works on legal defenses on affirmative action cases and organizes rallies. The UEAALDF was founded by defendants in the Grutter v. Bollinger case in Michigan. Since its start, the organization has been closely associated with the controversial activist group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN).

UEAALDF’s website doesn’t mention any activity after 2009. ^{1 2}

History

United for Equality and Affirmative Action Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1997 around the legal defense of Grutter v. Bollinger, a lawsuit initiated by the Center for Individual Rights against the University of Michigan’s affirmative action admissions policies. The organization’s founders included 41 students who became intervenor-defendants. ³

The court ultimately ruled in favor of the defense and permitted state organizations to use affirmative action. However, state organizations must consider other factors besides race in decisions. ⁴

UEAALDF intervened in American Civil Rights Foundation v. Los Angeles Unified School District to defend the school district in a claim that its policies violated California Proposition 209, which banned the use of affirmative action in state institutions. ³

The UEAALDF brought a constitutional challenge to Michigan’s Proposal 2 of 2006, which banned affirmative action, with the intention of striking down all state-level bans on affirmative action at the federal level. ³

Partners

United for Equality and Affirmative Action Legal Defense Fund became an “affiliate” of By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), a radical-left civil rights group. ⁵ UEAALDF’s national director, Shanta Driver, is the national spokesperson for BAMN. ⁶ The UEAALDF and BAMN regularly sponsored marches and rallies. ⁷

Jessie Jackson’s National Rainbow Push Coalition has been a “consistent partner” in rallies. ⁸

Funding

United for Equality and Affirmative Action Legal Defense Fund’s donors have included the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the California Federation of Teachers, the Impact Fund, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Michigan AFL-CIO, the Michigan Education Association, and the Center for Constitutional Rights. ⁹

1. “Home.” UEAA. Accessed November 29, 2022. http://ueaa.net/index.htm.
2. “Make a Donation.” UEAA. Accessed November 29, 2022. http://ueaa.net/donate.htm.
3. “About UEAA.” UEAA. Accessed November 29, 2022. http://ueaa.net/about.htm.
4. “Conclusion.” Oyez. Accessed November 29, 2022. https://www.oyez.org/cases/2002/02-241.
5. “The Student Defendants’ Case.” UEAA. Accessed November 29, 2022. http://ueaa.net/case.htm.
6. “UEAA Leadership.” UEAA. Accessed November 29, 2022. http://ueaa.net/leadership.htm.
7. “Educating the Nation.” UEAA. Accessed November 29, 2022. http://ueaa.net/education.htm.
8. ^[1] “Educating the Nation.” UEAA. Accessed November 29, 2022. http://ueaa.net/education.htm.
9. “Contributors to UEAA.” UEAA. Accessed November 29, 2022. http://ueaa.net/donate.htm.