February 25, 2025
Judge Temporarily Shuts Down Trump’s Anti-DEI Orders For HBCUs’ ‘1890s National Scholars Program’
The USDA has reopened its 1890 National Scholarship Program for HBCU students and extended the application deadline through March 15.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) multimillion-dollar 1890 National Scholars program for HBCU students has been reinstated after a federal judge appointed by Joe Biden ruled President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive order as “arbitrary and discriminatory.”
The scholarship program, which distributed $19.2 million to 94 students last year, awards full tuition, room and board for HBCU students studying food, agriculture, natural resources, and other related sciences. The USDA’s website currently states that the “1890s National Scholars Program application period has been reopened,” which replaced a “suspended pending further review” message which AL.com reported appeared on the program’s page last week.
As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously mentioned, the program’s suspension was lifted on Feb. 24. The reinstatement comes after U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s order on his first day in office to terminate “equity-related grants or contracts.”
“First, the vagueness of the term ‘equity-related grants or contracts’ invites arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement,” wrote Judge Abelson. “Second, the term’s vagueness offers insufficient notice to current grantees about whether and how they can adapt their conduct to avoid termination of their grants or contracts.”
Alabama A&M (AAMU) is one of the 19 recipients of the 1890 Scholars program. According to one of the university’s administrators, 35 scholars “are in high workforce demand majors,” including food science, forestry, and “other major needs in agriculture.”
Rep. Terri Sewell stated on X that the scholarships “cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders and scholars.” Sewell warned that prohibiting them would eliminate student opportunities and harm the nation’s farming communities.
“The Trump Administration must reverse this decision immediately!” she said.
Other recipients of the USDA’s 1890 National Scholars Program include Florida A&M University, North Carolina A&T State University, Southern University, Tuskegee University, and Virginia State University. Applications for students to request funding have reopened on the USDA’s website. The deadline has been extended from March 1 to March 15. Visit the program’s page for more information on study disciplines and eligibility criteria.
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