Oracle in Kansas City denies 5 Black students scholarships. Texts cite DEI
Update: After publication of this report, Oracle on Thursday said it was “committed to funding the scholarship.” That story is posted here.
The amount: A meager $10,000.
That is how much Gwen Grant, the president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, a civil rights group, said she had expected to have in hand — promised by the multi-billion dollar software company Oracle — to support five $2,000 scholarships.
The money was to go to five Black Kansas City high school students, ready to attend college in the fall.
Except, Grant said, Oracle has backed out just as the money was due. In an interview, she said Oracle broke a promise made last year.
She cites texts from her contact at Oracle and blames the turnaround on the anti-DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) sentiment that has emanated from the White House of President Donald Trump, who counts Larry Elllison, Oracle’s executive chairman, as a friend.
.JPG "KCM_Cernerofficespaceme103122rs0042f (1).JPG")
“He’s a Trumper,” Grant said of Ellison. As part of a morning news release on her accusation, Grant included a series of cellphone texts with her scholarship contact at Oracle:
“I am still working on it,” her Oracle contact wrote of the scholarship by text. “They have canceled all sponsorships until further notice of review by the attorney’s due to DEI. The only one I was able to get finished so far was Black Achievers because we participated in the golf tournament before the stop. . .We had sponsorships with Urban League here and Tennessee and both are on hold.”
The Star made repeated attempts to contact a spokesperson for Oracle in Kansas City, but did not receive an immediate response.
Oracle scholarships
The Urban League in Kansas City doesn’t typically offer scholarships.
But last year, Grant said, Oracle donated some $20,000 to the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, which was used to fund three $5,000 scholarships and several smaller scholarships. Grant said another $20,000, that included $10,000 in scholarship support, had been promised for 2025.
The arrangement came about, she said, after a former Urban League employee accepted a job at Oracle’s offices in south Kansas City, in the location of the former Bannister Mall. The former employee became her contact.
Convinced that the $10,000 would be given, Grant said she told students that the money would to go to the five seniors who achieved the largest rise in their ACT scores. The seniors, who were also athletes, had to be STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students. They also had to maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5. They also had to commit to taking four six-hour ACT preparation classes through the Urban League over four consecutive weekends.
“I mean I wouldn’t dare tell kids that we’re going to give them a scholarship if I didn’t have the commitment,” Grant said, “ because we don’t raise money for scholarships. They came to us in the first place with the money. Then I requested them to do it again. And they did.
“I had all that information before I told the kids they were getting the scholarships.”
Kansas City students
The students took the ACTs when they were offered in September, October and December.
One student, Devan Mathis, 17, of Lee’s Summit North High School, raised his cumulative ACT score from 23 to 33 and, as a track athlete, had already committed to the University of Kansas, where he is receiving both academic and athletic scholarships.
Mathis’ mother, Latisha Power, is a single mother.
“It’s just really disappointing,” said Power. Her son, she said, was not available to discuss the scholarships Wednesday, being away on an international school trip. “You wouldn’t expect a company like Oracle to do something like this. And for it to be based on DEI, it’s just — it’s just sad.”
Although Mathis has other scholarships, “I now have to figure out a way to come up with an extra $2,000. It’s going to be challenging,” Power said.
Correspondence from Oracle, dated Sept. 25, 2024, shows that Oracle had made a $5,000 commitment to the Urban League’s annual Difference Maker Award Luncheon, which was held on March 27 at The Abbott event space, 1901 Cherry Street. The company also committed $5,000 to the group’s College Planning and Career Exposure Event.
“We are pleased to confirm that Oracle will support your initiatives with a total contribution of $20,000,” the email said, with the largest amount, $10,000, going to STEM scholarship support.
Scholarships denied
As the Urban League’s March luncheon approached, Grant said she contacted the company to check on their various commitments. The organization had already sent Oracle an invoice for the $10,000 scholarship in September. Six months had passed without payment.
“We were following up on it because it’s time.” Grant said. “These kids are getting ready to go to college.”
On March 17, Grant received an email from Jauqua Preston Wilkins, the Global Culture & Inclusion, Relationship Coordinator for Oracle Human Resources. After greetings, the email delivered shattering news:
“At this time,” the email reads, “Oracle is currently reviewing all partnerships, and I have received notice that no additional financial commitments will be made or paid until further notice.”
Told that Oracle would not pay its scholarship commitment, Grant said she pressed for a reason and, in a text thread, was told by her contact that the company was reviewing its commitments and had ceased because of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“In my position, I could care less if it was DEI,” Grant said. “I don’t care what the reason is. You made a commitment. Then, in March of this year, you decide you’re not going to honor a commitment?”
Grant is now calling upon the public to help. The Urban League has launched a fundraising campaign to raise the $10,000 to fulfill the scholarships.
“The Urban League is committed to honoring our promise to these students,” Grant said in her news release. “We call upon our community, supporters of educational equity, and advocates for diversity and inclusion to stand with us in this critical moment.”
Oracle’s presence in Kansas City is relatively new.
In 2022, the company which is headquartered in Austin, Texas, closed a $28 billion deal to buy Cerner, the Kansas City-based health software company.
Oracle employed approximately 12,000 people in Kansas City at the time of the purchase, a figure that according to other media has since been reduced to about 6,400 employees.
Oracle in 2022 also shuttered two of the three buildings Cerner once occupied: Cerner’s former World Headquarters in North Kansas City and its Continuous Campus near the Legends in Wyandotte County.
Oracle now occupies the offices at 8779 HIllcrest Road.
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
