Discrimination lawsuit over Maryland higher-education funding goes to trial

From The Baltimore Sun: Alumni and students from Maryland's four historically black universities have gone to court to argue their long-held view that the state perpetuates racial segregation by underfunding their institutions. In the trial of the federal lawsuit, the four schools — Morgan State, Coppin State, Bowie State and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore—seek to force the state to pay for improvements that would make them more competitive with traditionally white peers. The suit also calls for the dismantling of programs at traditionally white schools that "unnecessarily" duplicate programs at the historically black universities.