The Lincoln University lawsuit puts a decades-old funding fight in front of a federal judge. On Oct. 7, seven current and former students of Lincoln University of Missouri sued the state in U.S. District Court, alleging it shortchanged the HBCU in violation of federal law and the Constitution. They’re asking for a remedial fund of about $549 million and a court order guaranteeing equal funding going forward. Nothing has been proven, and the state hasn’t answered in court yet. ABC17 labels the filing Kitchen v. Kehoe.
What the Lincoln University Lawsuit Alleges
Lincoln traces its roots to 1866, when soldiers of the 62nd U.S. Colored Infantry helped establish it in Jefferson City. The case rests on the Second Morrill Act of 1890. Lincoln is one of 19 HBCUs designated as land-grant institutions under that law. Missouri chose to fund a separate school for Black students rather than admit them to its flagship. Each year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sends land-grant money to those schools and expects states to match it. Waivers let 1890 universities draw their full federal grant if they put up at least 50%…