Do No Harm v. American Chemical Society

It’s common for high school seniors to apply for scholarships to pay for the high costs associated with going to college. That’s just what one of Do No Harm’s members, a high school student, tried to do to prepare for college in the fall.

When she came across the American Chemical Society’s Scholars Program, she wanted to apply. The Program awards students interested in the chemical sciences up to $5,000 per academic year to help pay for college tuition and fees. Our member wants to major in chemistry in college and has been preparing throughout high school for a career in chemistry: she scored a perfect 5 on the AP Chemistry exam and enjoys being in a lab and working on chemistry projects.

Given those qualifications, our member was stunned and dismayed to discover she was ineligible for ACS’s Scholars Program because of her race.

The scholarship program is only open to black, Hispanic, and indigenous students. White and Asian applicants are not eligible.

The American Chemical Society is blatantly discriminating against aspiring chemists simply based on their skin color. That’s why Do No Harm is challenging this illegal program on behalf of our member.

All students who are passionate about careers in chemistry should be able to access the Scholars Program, regardless of race.