LANSING, Mich. — During Black History Month, Dr. Pamela Pugh, President of the Michigan State Board of Education, has formally requested a contracting equity review and interagency accountability to assess the impacts of recent anti–Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy shifts on students and families across Michigan.
“Black History Month demands more than reflection, it demands accountability for the conditions shaping Black lives today and tomorrow,” said Dr. Pugh. “Michigan has shown that when advocacy, investment and accountability align, Black students succeed. But that progress is fragile, and it cannot be taken for granted.”
Over the past decade, Michigan has made measurable progress when equity-centered policies were prioritized. Advanced Placement participation among Black students increased 73%, far exceeding the national increase of 28%. In the past year alone, the number of Black students earning college-credit-worthy AP scores rose 34.8% surpassing the national gain of 26.5%.
In Career and Technical Education, $300 million in new investments produced the largest year-over-year growth in completers in a decade, including a 12% increase among Black students. Michigan has also strengthened its educator workforce, with a 34% increase in teachers of color, including more than1,600 additional Black educators. Targeted infrastructure investments, including historic debt relief in six districts and a $35 million modernization investment in Flint, have contributed to thehighest graduation rate in state history, with the four-year Black graduation rate rising from 59.9% in 2012 to 73.1% in 2024.
“This progress did not happen by accident,” Dr. Pugh said. “It happened because we stopped waiting and started acting.”
Dr. Pugh noted that recent anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion actions have placed that progress at risk. Since January 20, 2025, Black women, many of whom are heads of household and primary caregivers for Michigan students, havelost more than 300,000 jobs nationally, with unemployment rates far exceeding the national average.
“These losses are not abstract,” said Dr. Pugh. “They show up in our classrooms through housing instability, food insecurity, increased stress and disrupted learning.”
In response, Dr. Pugh has formally requested that the Michigan Department of Education undertake the following actions:
- Conduct a contracting equity review, including available demographic data on vendors and a clear analysis of contract terminations, non-renewals and fiscal impacts associated with recent federal policy shifts, including anti-DEI actions.
- Convene an interagency briefing with the Michigan Department of Education, the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity and the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget to examine workforce impacts on parents and caregivers and the downstream effects on student stability and educational outcomes.
“Silence is a choice,” Dr. Pugh said. “The Michigan State Board of Education will not confuse delay with prudence or compromise with progress. Advancing Black educational excellence requires transparency, sustained investment, economic stability for families and the courage to reject policies that delay justice.”
