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Missouri Sued Over Decades of Inequity and Underfunding at Lincoln University

Current and former students alongside alumni of Lincoln University of Missouria historically Black land-grant university located in Jefferson Cityhave filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the State of Missouri. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, alleges decades of discriminatory underfunding compared to the state’s predominantly white land-grant counterpart, the University of Missouri.

Key Facts and Background

• The Core Claim: Plaintiffs seek nearly $550 million in damages and equitable relief. The lawsuit cites federal data showing that Lincoln University alone missed out on approximately $361 million between 1987 and 2020 because the state repeatedly failed to provide the required state matching funds for federal agricultural and land-grant appropriations.

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• Defendants Named: The suit names the State of Missouri, Governor Michael Kehoe, the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education, Commissioner Bennett Boggs, and University of Missouri System President Mun Choi.

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• Impact on Students and Campus: Plaintiffs argue that the sustained disparity has forced campus leaders to defer critical infrastructure maintenance, trim academic degree programs, limit dining and health services, and reduce student financial aid. Enrollment at Lincoln has fallen from about 3,400 students in 2011 to roughly 2,200 today.

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• Broader National Legal Campaign: Organized as part of the 1890 Projectled by former Missouri lawmaker Don Callowaythis lawsuit is intended to be the opening salvo in a coordinated multi-state legal push. The coalition is examining similar underfunding lawsuits in other states, following precedent such as Maryland’s $577 million HBCU settlement.

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The filing argues that the state’s failure to fund both land-grant institutions with equitable parity perpetuates the remnants of Missouri’s historically segregated dual higher-education system. State and university officials have stated they cannot comment on pending litigation.