It is another sad day for our country. On Friday, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court chose to prohibit Affirmative Action programs used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina for college admission. The decision by this super conservative right-wing Supreme Court is appalling but not unexpected based on last year’s decision to overturn Roe W. Wade. This decision will have a ripple effect around the nation.
Contrary to what the current majority members of the Supreme Court believe, Affirmative Action was not put into place so that people of color would have an unfair advantage over our white counterparts, or as Justice Clarence Thomas inaccurately stated, “rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes.” As history should reflect, Affirmative Action was a solution created by the Nixon administration to address the issue of racism without having to address all of the layers of discrimination that existed at the time and currently exist today to keep qualified African Americans and other minorities of color out of the system and give white applicants an unfair advantage.
As many of us know, considering race was a necessity in combating the systemic racism that still exists to this day in college admissions. This injustice continues to be true in almost every sector of our country. Affirmative action is an effective tool that these institutions of higher learning adopted to try to level-set a system that is otherwise biased in favor of legacy applicants who gain admission simply because of their lineage that goes back to a not-so-distant past when these institutions made most of their decisions using a structure based on legacy and wealth, which, by design, benefits white, wealthy applicants whose forebearers attended the school when the school had a strict limit on the admission of people of color.
In addition, many of these colleges recruit from elite private and state-supported public schools that themselves have racially motivated barriers that limit the number of African Americans and other minorities that are allowed to attend. Elite schools such as Harvard must be allowed to look beyond the so-called elite prep schools that accept only applicants with the “proper pedigree” and finances. They must continue seeking qualified African Americans and other people of color that other institutions ignore.
Affirmative action is an effective tool that these institutions of higher learning adopted to try to level-set a system that is otherwise biased in favor of legacy applicants who gain admission simply because of their lineage that goes back to a not-so-distant past when these institutions made most of their decisions using a structure based on legacy and wealth, which, by design, benefits white, wealthy applicants whose forebearers attended the school when the school had a strict limit on the admission of people of color.
Harvard University President-Elect Claudine Gay remarked, “We all benefit from living, learning, and working alongside people from different backgrounds and experiences.” Her words are encouraging as Harvard University remains steadfast in its commitment to diversity. The same should be true for companies with DEI initiatives as well. As a proud graduate of Harvard Law School and the husband of a proud graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, we cannot overstate the importance of diversity in such institutions.
Make no mistake; this is not where it ends. As we said last year, this begins with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Until our court system is fair, we will continue to see the undoing of change and must be ready for the fight. We do not know what will come next on the chopping block of justice, but with this decision, we know how to prepare. It will take more than our voice; it will take action. At the Los Angeles Urban League, we ask you to join us alongside the National Urban League, our affiliates, and historical organizations nationwide who are answering the call in this fight for justice.