In a rare moment of clarity from Washington, the U.S. Department of Justice has sued Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) for doing what the left swears they’d never do: blatantly give preferential treatment based on race. Yes — in 2025, we still have school districts proudly discriminating in the name of “equity.” Shocking, I know.
After wrapping up a three-week strike in 2022, MPS quietly inserted a contract provision that allowed non-white teachers to skip the traditional seniority-based system for layoffs and involuntary assignments. Translation: a white teacher who spent years serving Minneapolis kids could be tossed aside to protect a newer hire — as long as that newer hire checked the “underrepresented” box. Nothing says “progress” like official discrimination baked directly into a public-employee contract.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon put it plainly: “Employers may not provide more favorable terms and conditions of employment based on an employee’s race and sex.” In other words, MPS doesn’t get to play diversity games with people’s livelihoods. The DOJ even highlighted how MPS offered extra benefits to non-white teachers through third-party organizations like “Black Men Teach Fellows,” benefits that were literally unavailable to white or female teachers. So much for equality.
As if DEI ideology weren’t already notorious for disadvantaging white employees — especially white men — MPS pushed things even further by setting racial hiring quotas. According to the complaint, the district publicly aimed for at least 40% “BIPOC” teachers by 2026, and over 54% of new hires to be non-white by 2026-2027. Not merit. Not experience. Just race. The DOJ called it what it is: “plainly discriminatory and unlawful.”
Federal attorneys are now asking the court to declare these policies a Title VII violation and permanently bar MPS from engaging in racial discrimination. Seems like a reasonable request — unless you’re one of the ideologues who think racism suddenly becomes noble when you slap a DEI sticker on it.
All of this is happening while Minnesota faces growing scrutiny over massive fraud schemes within its Somali population — scandals so big that even The New York Times had to acknowledge them. For decades, the state has bent over backward to create specialized charter schools and culturally segregated institutions catering to this population, encouraging an anti-assimilation mindset under the guise of “inclusion.”
A 2025 study from Abdiqani Y. Farah of the University of Northeastern Somalia reveals that roughly 12% of Minnesota’s charter schools are Somali-led, with student bodies between 98% and 100% Somali. Parents and school leaders openly state their priorities: not academic excellence, but “safe havens” that preserve cultural and religious identity and maintain language — effectively parallel education systems.
All told, the DOJ lawsuit is just the latest reminder that Americans are increasingly fed up with the left’s obsession with race-based policies that punish some while rewarding others. And while Minneapolis may have tried to disguise discrimination as “equity,” the law — thankfully — still knows the difference.
At the end of the day, restoring fairness is always a win, and this case is one more sign that accountability is finally catching up. A good thing for Minnesota — and an even better thing for America.
