Right-Wing Org Sues L.A. School District Over ‘White Discrimination,’ But an Expert Breaks Down the Reality

While a Los Angeles school policy aims to address long-standing inequities for Black and brown students across the district, one conservative group is challenging the measure in court, arguing that those efforts are rooted in racial discrimination against white students. 

On Tuesday (Jan. 21), the 1776 Project Foundation reportedly moved to sue the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) over its PHABO program — an acronym for Predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian, or other Non-Anglo — which provides additional resources to certain schools, including smaller class sizes, extra consideration in magnet school admissions, and stricter parent engagement requirements, per AP News.

The filing claims the program discriminates against what it calls “a new minority: White students.” According to education and civil rights expert Dr. Stephen C.W. Graves, an assistant professor of political science and Africana studies at Oklahoma State University, this pushback distorts the entire purpose of desegregation policies, which he urges are still necessary to address long-standing systemic inequities.

Is The PHABO Program Discrimination?

“I definitely don’t think it’s discrimination,” Graves told The Root. “These students just so happen to live in these areas… these aren’t private schools or charter schools; these are districts that happen to be predominantly Black and brown. That’s important to remember, especially in a place like Los Angeles. They already have a segregated school problem and a class problem, as far as the wealth gap between white and Black American groups.”

“The fact that these [policies] are school district specific and not necessarily student specific I think makes it less likely to be categorized as discrimination more than anything else,” Graves added. “I think what this really comes down to is they [white parents] really want the points for graduating from predominantly Black and brown schools to attend magnet schools when they graduate.”

Graves added certain schools are predominantly non-white doesn’t prevent lower-income white students who attend from gaining their fair share of academic advancement. While Black folks are the target, white students in similar conditions can still benefit from the program, showing that the policies are about addressing inequity, not exclusion.

Black Progress Interrupted 

The reduction of average class sizes has been part of the Integration program dating back to 1978. Despite the efforts, segregation across Los Angeles schools continues to rise, leading to declining academic results, per EdSource.

Graves has observed these disparities, and says critics will continue to claim such measures are no longer necessary, even as the declining conditions against Black and brown students continue to persist.

“What these groups will claim is — which they always repeat in these states — ‘Why are these [policies] necessary? It’s 2026, we’ve got all this equality, we no longer need these policies,’ and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Graves said.

“Meanwhile, wealthier parents and wealthier families will always have an advantage. And they’re going to use that advantage to make sure their kids have more opportunities and resources than others,” he added.