WASHINGTON ― A powerful government workers’ union will end its support for the United Negro College Fund after the group accepted $25 million from the conservative powerhouse Koch brothers and the college fund’s president appeared at a Koch event.
In a letter made public last Thursday, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said it will no longer partner with or raise funds for the fund.
AFSCME President Lee Saunders said the actions of the college fund’s president “are not only deeply hostile to the rights and dignity of public employees, but also a profound betrayal of the ideals of the civil rights movement.”
The fund supports private historically Black colleges and universities and provides scholarships. It accepted a $25 million grant last month from Koch Industries Inc. and the Charles Koch Foundation.
The Koch brothers are major contributors to conservative causes and are often vilified by Democrats and liberals. After accepting the grant, Saunders says UNCF President Michael Lomax spoke at a Koch Brothers summit in California.
Saunders called the Kochs “the single most prominent funders of efforts to prevent African Americans from voting” and said Lomax’s appearance at their function was “a betrayal of everything the UNCF stands for.”
Lomax said the fund never had a litmus test for donors.
