Leaving Girls Behind

An Analysis of Washington D.C.’s “Empowering Males of Color” Initiative

This report, released by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of the Nation’s Capital, summarizes the results of a DC Freedom of Information Act request and focuses on the exclusion of women and girls from the programming launched under this new, $20 million initiative of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Despite statistics showing that girls of color in Washington DC are suffering from many of the same serious educational disparities facing boys of color, the programs launched under this initiative appear to be open almost exclusively to boys, with no plans for any similar programming for girls.