Penn Law Freezes Scholarship for First Black Woman Grad and Closes Equal Opportunity Office

The University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School is making major changes to its diversity programming and not everyone is happy about it.

School officials confirmed they’ve paused the Sadie T.M. Alexander scholarship, a full‐tuition award launched in 2021 for incoming students committed to pursuing racial justice work. Named after Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, the first Black woman to graduate from Penn’s law school in 1927 and a trailblazer in economics and civil rights, the scholarship was designed to attract students focused on dismantling racial inequities through legal careers.

The pause comes alongside another major shift: the closure of the school’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Engagement by the end of summer. The office served as a hub for equity initiatives, student support, and inclusive programming. Administrators say its responsibilities will now be absorbed into other parts of the university, calling it a move toward “streamlined resources.”

But the timing has raised eyebrows. Across the country, universities have been under political and legal pressure to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, especially following recent court challenges to race-conscious admissions and federal investigations into DEI funding.

Penn Carey Law has not confirmed if or when the Sadie Alexander scholarship will return, only stating that it is under review as part of a broader reassessment of financial aid priorities.

Sadie T.M. Alexander’s legacy remains a cornerstone of Penn’s history. She was a civil rights leader, economist, attorney, and the first Black woman in the nation to earn a Ph.D. in economics. For many alumni and students, pausing a scholarship in her name sends the wrong message.