George Mason University (GMU) and its president, Gregory Washington, are the latest targets of the Trump administration’s campaigns against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) — but there is a growing groundswell of support for Washington.
Democratic lawmakers and the nation’s first Black governor, a former Virginia governor, joined the many Northern Virginia business leaders who have already issued statements praising the leadership of Washington — who is GMU’s first Black president — and the university’s pivotal role.
The university is currently under four different federal investigations, including two by the Department of Justice (DOJ): one examining whether GMU has used discriminatory practices toward students and if its response to antisemitism on campus has been adequate, and another looking into whether GMU discriminated in hiring.
In a letter to the GMU community, Washington defended the university, writing in part: “I can assure you that George Mason has always operated with a commitment to equality under the law … Our diversity efforts are designed to expand opportunity and build inclusive excellence — not to exclude or advantage any group unlawfully.”
Former Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder joined Democratic lawmakers in Richmond to signal support for GMU and its president.
“Donald Trump doesn’t run Virginia,” Wilder said.
Virginia House majority leader Charniele Herring got emotional as she explained what GMU meant to her. Homeless as a teen, she entered the school through a special STEP program.
“Yes, there was emotion, because it’s a mix of anger and disappointment about what’s happening to George Mason University,” Herring said. “… It’s a place where it’s affordable, and again, they take non-traditional students. Students don’t come from wealthy families generally, and it’s a place where people are able to grow.”
Lawmakers say they hope Washington can avoid the fate of the University of Virginia’s president, Jim Ryan, who resigned last month after the Trump administration took aim at his diversity initiatives. The administration threatened to withhold hundreds of millions in federal funding.
“What happened to Jim Ryan is a travesty,” said Don Scott, the Virginia House speaker. “What’s happening to Greg Washington right now is a travesty.”
Other groups also lined up in support. In Fairfax, NAACP leaders and others gathered to push back.
The Northern Virginia Technology Council and the region’s three biggest chambers of commerce signed onto a statement of support.
“As the largest public university in the Commonwealth, Mason plays a vital role in preparing the workforce that powers our region’s economy from tech and cybersecurity to healthcare, law, public policy and education,” the statement says in part. “The Northern Virginia business community is united in our message: We strongly support George Mason University and the strategic direction that Mason’s president, Dr. Gregory Washington, has set for the university as a preeminent educational institution that delivers the region’s workforce. Simply stated, Mason is advancing our regional future.”
A social media campaign, Stand with Mason, is also underway. It spotlights GMU’s achievements.
Lawmakers accused the GMU Board of Visitors — all appointed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin — of failing to stand up for the university and its students.
A statement to News4 from Youngkin reads, in part: “There is no place for antisemitism on our campuses nor racial preferences driving admission or hiring decisions. We must follow the law as established by the Supreme Court and federal laws, including civil rights statutes.”
The GMU Board of Visitors has hired a private law firm to handle the federal government investigations. Because of that, Washington says, university staff is barred from directly speaking with the DOJ about the complaints.
