University of Illinois pauses ‘minority-owned’ business partnership after civil rights complaint– www.thecollegefix.com

Description ‘raised questions regarding compliance with the university’s nondiscrimination requirements,’ campus attorney says

A partnership to support “minority-owned, Black-owned, and women-owned businesses” has been paused by University of Illinois officials following a federal civil rights complaint.

The joint venture, Project MicroBoom, involved the public university’s College of Media and Our Tech LLC.

The latter promotes “the idea of digital neo-activism to create a conglomerate of Afrocentric platforms where the voices and ideas of any underrepresented community, business, and student can be heard.”

Project MicroBoom aimed to start on Thursday and included a four-week marketing program specifically women and non-white business owners. Participants would be guided through branding, website design, and social media marketing plans.

However, the original post advertising the Project MicroBoom event has now been taken down after a complaint from civil rights activist Mark Perry and media inquiries. The College Fix first asked Perry for his insights on the program, based on his extensive history of civil rights activism.