The Illinois Math and Science Academy helped organize and fund a Black student graduation, emails reveal

SUMMARY

Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request reveal that the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) helped organize and fund a Black student graduation. According to the emails, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) department helped organize the event including rescheduling it because the “Black graduation runs into the same time as Senior Sunset” and “we don’t want the Black seniors to miss out on this event.”

The school appears to have paid for the Black graduation sashes and an additional $1200 for graduation lunch.

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TIMELINE

On January 29, 2026, organizers asked the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion “Could you share approximately how many Black students there are to order stoles?” A March 27, 2026, email shows that the school ordered 12 “Black Sarape Sash with Custom Yellow Gold custom embroidery.”

A March 31, 2026, email from a student notes that the “Black graduation runs into the same time as Senior Sunset” and “we don’t want the Black seniors to miss out on this event.”

Emails show that the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/ Title IX Coordinator requested that sashes be paid out of a fund titled “Multicultural Retention Undesignated.” An April 15, 2026 response email states that “our Cherry Endowment is going to cover $640 for the graduation sashes and up to $1200 for the graduation lunch.”