Education and Civil Rights Initiative is a $10 million research initiative between the University of Kentucky and the left-of-center NAACP. ^[1] Founded in 2020, the Initiative is the first example of direct collaboration between the NAACP and a higher education institution. ^[2]

The Initiative focuses on so-called “equity and social justice” issues, ^[3] hosts conferences on the importance of critical race theory, ^[4] and conducts “equity audits” of school districts. ^[5] Initiative-sponsored conferences have focused on how to implement critical race theory-inspired concepts in English, literature, literacy, social studies, science, and math classrooms in K-12 schools. ^[6]

In September 2020, Gregory Vincent, the Initiative’s director, moderated an event entitled “Critical Race Theory: Why it Matters and What it Teaches Us,” which identified the race-based model of education as a useful tool for approaching discussions and events related to race. ^[7]

History and Leadership

Education and Civil Rights Initiative is a $10 million research initiative ^[8] between the University of Kentucky and the NAACP that was initiated in 2020 at an event which included NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. ^[9]

Gregory Vincent is the Executive Director of the Education and Civil Rights Initiative. ^[10] Prior to joining the University of Kentucky, Vincent held the W.K. Kellogg Professorship in Community College Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin, ^[11] which is funded by the left-of-center W.K. Kellogg Foundation. ^[12]

Vincent teaches critical race theory-inspired concepts such as “educational equity” and “social justice” at the University of Kentucky. ^[13] He supports race-based affirmative action policies for college admissions, ^[14] has said that “at a certain point, grades and test points become less important” when it comes to college admissions, ^[15] and said that the U.S. has been “grappling with the issue of equity” since before Brown v. Board of Education. ^[16] In 2015, he led a panel at the South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, about the impact of the left-wing Black Lives Matter movement. ^[17]

Activities and Funding

Education and Civil Rights Initiative is a critical race theory-influenced education advocacy organization inside of the University of Kentucky’s College of Education that operates in collaboration with the NAACP. ^[18] The Initiative focuses on so-called “equity and social justice” issues, ^[19] hosts conferences on the importance of critical race theory, ^[20] and conducts so-called “equity audits” of school districts. ^[21]

Students and educators in the Initiative explore the nuances of “intersectional identities” and “race-based discrimination” ^[22] and train upcoming teachers on critical race theory-inspired topics such as “educational equity” and “social justice.” ^[23] The initiative offers workshops for teachers to develop critical race theory-inspired “anti-racist” Black History Month activities and new school curriculums. ^[24]

In September 2020, Gregory Vincent, the Initiative’s director, moderated an event entitled “Critical Race Theory: Why it Matters and What it Teaches Us,” which identified the race-based model of education as a useful tool for approaching discussions and events related to race. ^[25]

In May 2021, the Initiative hosted the virtual Education and Civil Rights for the New Decade conference, which focused on the critical race theory-inspired concept of “equity” and featured speakers from left-of-center organizations including the NAACP, American Association of Community Colleges, and the Southern Education Foundation. ^[26]

On the second day of the conference, a session called “Implementing Anti-racist Education Across the Disciplines” focused on how to implement critical race theory-inspired concepts in English, literature, literacy, social studies, science, and math classrooms in K-12 schools. ^[27]

Equity Audits

In 2021, the Education and Civil Rights Initiative partnered with Paducah Independent School District in Paducah, Kentucky, to establish the Paducah Racial Equity Initiative (REI). ^[28] The Initiative partnered with Paducah Schools to perform a critical race theory-inspired “equity audit” of the school’s curriculum, develop action plans, and create minority hiring plans for the district. ^[29] As a part of its activities, the Initiative distributed controversial “racial equity audit” surveys through the mail to parents and community members within Paducah Public Schools. ^[30]

Also in 2021, the Initiative received a $15,000 contract to perform a so-called “equity audit” of the San Francisco Unified School District. ^[31]

Funding

Education and Civil Rights Initiative receives funding from program service fees and donations to the Civil Rights Initiative Support Fund, which are routed through the University of Kentucky’s College of Education. ^[32]

In 2021, the Initiative received $15,000 to perform a so-called “equity audit” of the San Francisco Unified School District. ^[33]