Smithsonian backtracks on 'Latinx' internships and opens scheme up to all races ... trends now
The Smithsonian's museum for Latino history has opened up its 'Latinx' internship scheme to applicants of all races following a lawsuit, in the latest conservative-led effort against diversity-hiring schemes.
The National Museum of the American Latino says it will no longer use racial or ethnic preferences in deciding who is selected for an internship, following a legal complaint by activist Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER).
The settlement is the latest example of conservative groups pushing back on so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, which critics say may be well-intentioned but ultimately blow back on straight, white men.
'Every student who is interested in this area of museum studies should have the opportunity to compete for an internship without their race being a factor,' Blum said in a statement.
The National Museum of the American Latino says it works to increase the representation and research into the 'Latina/o/x experience'
'Cultural institutions must end these kinds of unlawful, racially exclusive programs and policies.'
Blum, the legal strategist behind last year's Supreme Court ruling to dismantle affirmative action in college admissions, filed his complaint against the Smithsonian on February 22.
Though the world-famous museum's internship application process did not explicitly bar non-Latinos, Blum alleged that all 30 interns since 2022 had all been Latino — a clear indication of racial preference.
According to the AAER, this violated the Constitution's equal protection clause.
'When the Alliance sued, the museum said the internship was 'for Latina, Latino, and Latinx-identifying undergraduate students' and focused on 'increasing the representation of Latina and Latino museum professionals,' the group said.
The Washington
