Why isn't this discrimination?

The Richland 2 website carries an announcement of "The PREMIER 100" conference to be held on March 28. Clicking on the link on www.Richland2.org takes you off the District's website to a Google site.

What is it? The conference "is an annual conference supporting Richland School District Two's effort to not only recruit, but to retain male educators of color." 

As a matter of fact, this seems to be the First Annual Conference (if you get the joke). Since the program kicked off on November 13, 2019, this is the first conference. It will only be an annual conference, if it is held again.

The superintendent referred to The Premier 100 at the February 11th Board Meeting as "men of color".

I was curious about the application and tried to click through to examine how "color" is asked on the application for the conference. You can't pass into the application without an account.

Is "white" a color? Can a white "male educator of color" attend this conference?

The last Q&A in the FAQs answers that question (sort of): "I am Not a Minority Male Eductaor (sic). Can I still attend?"

A. "ABSOLUTELY! We know that we cannot affect change in our industry alone. We welcome all current and future educators to attend this event."

What on Earth does this mean? "We know that we cannot affect change in our industry alone."

Men of color in Richland 2 (black men) might be a high percentage within the boundaries of Richland 2 School District and even in the total Columbia metropolitan area and in South Carolina. But blacks are 14% (including multi-racial) of the population in the United States. There is a whole wide world out there into which they are going to have to learn to fit.

So much for Equal Employment Opportunity in Richland 2. The superintendent's #1 Initiative is to hire 100 men of color. Why isn't that discrimination?

This district should be hiring the top 100 applicants and be as color-blind as it expects teachers and staff to be.