DOJ launches probe of CUNY ‘Black Male’ program for allegedly favoring ‘non-white minorities’

Nypost · Jun 09, 2026 · 475 words · By Carl Campanile; Caitlin McCormack

Department of Justice Oversight Affirmative Action Legality Civil Rights and Discrimination

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DOJ launches probe of CUNY ‘Black Male’ program for allegedly favoring ‘non-white minorities’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

DOJ launches probe of CUNY ‘Black Male’ program for allegedly favoring ‘non-white minorities’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleThe Department of Justice announced a probe into CUNY‘s Black Male Initiative on Tuesday after a conservative legal organization filed a complaint alleging discrimination against women and white men.

Common ground

The Black Male Initiative, a program started in the CUNY system 21 years ago, favors “select non-white minorities” through its race-based recruitment, the DOJ alleged in a press release published Tuesday.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Department of Justice Oversight story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that It specifically highlights African, black, Caribbean, and Hispanic students on its website?
How does this story connect Department of Justice Oversight with Affirmative Action Legality over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/09/us-news/doj-investigating-cuny-black-male-program-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

cancel Disputed 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “It specifically highlights African, black, Caribbean, and Hispanic students on its website.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm the website highlights African, black, Caribbean, and Hispanic students.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — African Americans or Black Americans, also formerly called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group. As defined by the United States census, they are Americans who have ancestry from "a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Americans

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Black British people are a multi-ethnic group of British people of either African or Afro-Caribbean origin and in some cases Indo-Caribbean descent. The term Black British developed in the 1950s, refe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_British_people

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Often in countries with socially based syst…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “including at the State University of New York campuses, Fordham and Rutgers universities, and the New York State Education Department.”

VERIFIED

A cross-reference specifically lists SUNY campuses, the NY State Education Department, Fordham, and Rutgers as institutions where EPP has filed cases.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — EPP has filed cases against more than 120 institutions challenging over 550 discriminatory scholarships and programs — including at the State University of New York campuses, the New York State Educat…
https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/us-news/trump-justice-dept-urg…

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Claim 3: “a conservative legal organization filed a complaint alleging discrimination against women and white men”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that a group (identified as EPP in other claims) alleged the program discriminates based on race, color, or national origin, specifically favoring non-white minorities over white students/men.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of The City University of New York is a public community college in the South Bronx, New York City. It is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) syste…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostos_Community_College

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Let's Get Ready is a non-profit organization that provides low-income high school students with free SAT preparation, admissions counseling and other support services needed to gain admission to and g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let's_Get_Ready_(organization)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Medgar Evers College is a public college in New York City, United States. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY), offering baccalaureate and associate degrees. It was establi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medgar_Evers_College

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 4: “EPP has filed cases against more than 120 institutions challenging over 550 race-based scholarships and programs”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the gathered results to support the specific numbers of 120 institutions or 550 scholarships.

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Claim 5: “The Equal Protection Project filed a complaint in early June accusing the program of violating federal civil rights laws”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the Equal Protection Project filed a complaint in early June alleging violations of federal civil rights laws.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New York Proposal 1 was a 2024 ballot proposal for a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the New York Constitution called the Amendment to Protect Against Unequal Treatment, and informa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_New_York_Proposal_1

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The clause, which took effect in 1868, provides "nor shall any State ... deny to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Protection_Clause

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Legal Insurrection Foundation (abbreviated LIF) is an American nonprofit conservative advocacy organization which focuses on issues concerning academia. Launched in 2019, LIF is based in Rhode Isl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_Insurrection_Foundation

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The Black Male Initiative, a program started in the CUNY system 21 years ago”

DISPUTED

One source states the program started 21 years ago, while another source explicitly states it 'officially began in 2005', which would be approximately 20-21 years ago depending on the current date (2026 as per evidence), but the sources provide slightly different framing of the timeline.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients whi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malnutrition

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician who has served as the 112th mayor of New York City since 2026. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohran_Mamdani

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “The Department of Justice announced a probe into CUNY‘s Black Male Initiative on Tuesday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that the DOJ launched an investigation into CUNY's Black Male Initiative.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jews have faced antisemitism and discrimination in universities and campuses in the United States, from the founding of universities in the Thirteen Colonies until the present day, in varying intensit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism_in_US_higher_educ…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced KYOO-nee) is the public university system of New York City, United States. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_University_of_New_York

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay_College_of_Criminal_J…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “In 2012, the Obama-era Department of Education determined that the initiative was consistent with federal law”

SINGLE SOURCE

One PDF from the Department of Education dated Nov 23, 2012, mentions the Black Male Initiative and federal financial assistance, but the specific 'determination' that it was consistent with federal law is not explicitly detailed across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The system was governed by the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York, created in 1926, and later renamed the Board of Trustees of CUNY in 1979. The ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_University_of_New_York

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web search NEUTRAL — Nov 23, 2012 ... charging “CUNY itself and those colleges implementing its 'Black Male Initiative' with the ... federal financial assistance from ...
https://www.ed.gov/media/document/02062094-apdf-22557.pdf

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 10, 2026 ... "Race can never play a role when deciding how to distribute educational resources or opportunities," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/new-york-university-faces-just…

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Claim 9: “the US Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that affirmative action programs considering an applicant’s race in college and university admissions was unconstitutional.”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by a cross-reference and multiple web search results citing the 2023 Supreme Court decision (SFFA v. Harvard) regarding race-conscious admissions.

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 2, 2023 ... On June 29, 2023, the US Supreme Court issued a long-awaited decision addressing the legality of race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions ...
https://www.sidley.com/en/insights/newsupdates/2023/08/us-su…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 1, 2025 ... In 2023, the Supreme Court sent a seismic shock wave through higher education with its decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v.
https://www.nacua.org/resource/admissions-and-access-to-high…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 30, 2023 ... On June 29, 2023, the US Supreme Court issued a decision upending precedent permitting limited use of race in higher education admissions.
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB10893

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 10: “The mission of the Black Male Initiative is to bolster the enrollment, retention, grade point average and graduation rate of minority male students in 22 of CUNY’s 26 institutions.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results explicitly state the mission is to bolster enrollment, retention, GPA, and graduation rates of minority male students.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... The mission of the Black Male Initiative is to bolster the enrollment, retention, grade point average and graduation rates of minority male ...
https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/us-news/trump-justice-dept-urg…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 12, 2026 ... The program at the center is called CUNY's Black Male Initiative. Here is the simple version: DOJ says it received reports alleging the program ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZgfcoultS3/

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 10, 2026 ... The Black Male Initiative program, founded by CUNY in 2005, aims to boost educational outcomes for “students from groups that are severely ...
https://www.highereddive.com/news/doj-opens-investigation-in…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.