Members of the Texas nonprofit group Former Majority Association for Equality are on a media blitz defending their scholarships exclusively for white males.
William Lake — the group’s treasurer and an MBA candidate at Texas State University in San Marcos — told MSNBC Tuesday afternoon that white men are “one group that just doesn’t have any support.”
How does he figure? “We saw opportunities for just about every demographic, as far as paying for college goes, except for this one,” Lake told TPM.
“We’re just providing one for this demographic,” he added. “Why shouldn’t there be money available for these people?”
Lake is using student loans to pay for college. A self-described “B” student, Lake said his academic record isn’t quite good enough to earn scholarships. But he said that doesn’t disqualify him from selecting others for scholarships.
“Just because i’m not a straight “A” student with a bright shiny college transcript doesn’t make me not qualified to identity someone who is outstanding,” he said.
Lake wouldn’t address just how underprivileged he thinks white males are in general, deferring to the group’s general mission of providing financial assistance to those who need it. He also denied any attempt to use the white-male-only scholarships as a publicity stunt for personal gain.
“None of us are wealthy,” he said. “We don’t have enough money to solve all the world’s problems, so we thought we’d start by solving this problem.”
David Taintor
David Taintor is TPM’s News Editor. He contributes to TPM’s Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com
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