For Immediate Release:
November 10, 2026
Contact:
Edward Blum
703-505-1922
American Alliance for Equal Rights Settles Lawsuit Challenging the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
(Ft. Worth, Texas) – Yesterday, the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) announced the resolution of its lawsuit against the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF).
AAER challenged HSF’s Scholar Program, a prestigious scholarship that HSF has offered since 1975 to students who are Hispanic. AAER challenged the program under 42 U.S.C. §1981, alleging that the program unlawfully restricted eligibility based on ethnicity. In September 2026, the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. ruled that AAER’s claim could proceed.
The parties have now agreed to settle their dispute. For the first time in 2027, HSF will open the HSF Scholar Program to students of all ethnicities.
Edward Blum, president of AAER said, “The American Alliance for Equal Rights believes that race and ethnicity should never affect the opportunities that are available to students. The Alliance applauds HSF for making its valuable scholarship and support services available to all students.”
Through litigation and other lawful means, AAER will continue its mission of ending racial and ethnic preferences wherever they are found. This case follows AAER’s similar litigation against the Fearless Fund, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, McDonald’s, the American Bar Association, New York City, and many more.