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TWITTER / MAYA WILEY Demonstrations broke out after the Supreme Court rendered its decision on affirmative action. |
In its dogged determination to send the US back to the 1950s, the US Supreme Court's ruling Thursday against affirmative action in college admissions drew sharp and angry criticism from the AANHPI leaders, from Vice President Kamala Harris and civil rights advocates to the students on campus.
"The highest court in our land just made a decision today on affirmative action and I feel compelled to speak about it," said Harris, whose mother is from India.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a denial of opportunity. It’s not about being colorblind. It’s about being blind to history, blind to empirical evidence about disparities, and blind to the strength that diversity brings to classrooms, to boardrooms,” Harris said on Twitter.
The GOP-dominated Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling Thursday on Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolin, undermines the Court’s long-standing support for affirmative action in higher education.
The Republican appointees of the Court struck a deep blow to students and racial equity in education by holding that Harvard and the University of North Carolina's affirmative action programs violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
“Affirmative action policies have helped colleges and universities across our country cultivate more diverse student bodies. These commonsense policies recognize that diversity on campuses benefits all students, and help to advance racial equity. But once again, this extreme Supreme Court has taken our country backwards," said Senator Mazie Hirono, D-HI.
"Given our country’s long history of racial discrimination and the stark racial inequality that continues to this day, for Justices to focus on whether the benefits of diversity can be measured precisely is shortsighted and detached from reality. Diversity of every kind makes us stronger," said Hirono.
Asian American Legal Education Fund and Asian Americans Advancing Justice were two of many groups who filed friends of the court briefs supporting the admission policies of both schools.
“The Supreme Court has rolled back progress in the fight for racial justice by undermining affirmative action programs at Harvard and UNC. By pitting communities of color against each other, the Court’s decision discounts broad Asian American support for race-conscious admissions and the importance of ensuring diversity in our classrooms. Together with other communities of color, we will continue to ensure that the pathways to opportunity and leadership are open to all,” said Margaret Fung, executive director of AALDEF.
“It makes me angry to see the Supreme Court wield the history of the Equal Protection Clause and the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education in a way that is antithetical to its purpose," said Bethany Li, legal director of AALDEF. "Brown helped desegregate our schools and give students of color a fighting chance at a good education.
"The decision today uses the false myth of color blindness to undermine an important tool for correcting these disparities. When you purport to be color blind, you're saying you don't see race. But if you don't see race, you don't see the disparities in education, in health, in jobs, and in society at large that racial minorities including Asian Americans have historically faced and continue to face today,”
"For Asian Americans, this ruling will particularly harm Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Southeast Asian communities who continue to face significant barriers to higher education. At a moment when our country is increasingly segregated and there are significant gaps in resources for majority minority schools, we call on Congress, our local elected leaders, and universities to do everything in their power to implement solutions we really need for economic equity and racial justice in our nation.”
“For Asian American students and all others, racially diverse student bodies both enhance their learning and foster understanding of each student’s lived experience,” said Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. “In our ever-changing global economy and platform, we must continue to give all students the opportunity to fulfill their potential and shape a future built strong on our biggest asset – our diversity.”
“We unequivocally condemn the ruling by the Supreme Court to reverse these affirmative action policies, thus ensuring that systemic racism continues to be embedded in higher education,” said Grace Pai, Executive Director of Advancing Justice – Chicago. “As Asian Americans, we will not allow our communities to be used as a prop by the conservative movement to advance a white supremacist agenda.”
“Declaring these race conscious policies unconstitutional is a barely disguised tool to once again remove students of color from our nation’s campuses and perpetuate the historical legacy of institutionalized racism in education that continues, especially in the south,” said Phi Nguyen, Executive Director of Advancing Justice – Atlanta. “We will continue to fight for racial justice and ensure that everyone has access to a quality education.”
“Affirmative action is not only beneficial for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), but for all students and society as a whole” said OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates President Linda Ng. “By preventing holistic affirmative action policies from being implemented, the Supreme Court has ignored the reality of persistent institutional bias, racial discrimination, and inequality in our country - undermining the efforts of educators and advocates to create more equitable and diverse learning environments.”
“Today’s decision is an absolute gut punch to our country’s efforts in creating a more inclusive society for all. Affirmative action policies have been the victim of years of a well-funded intentionally dishonest misinformation campaign. Because of today’s ruling, we will see less diverse student bodies, a less prepared workforce, and ultimately a less competitive economy,” said OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates VP of Public Affairs Kendall Kosai. “Our nation’s future depends on racial equity and diversity in higher education to achieve a thriving, multiracial democracy. We must all continue to work together to achieve that goal, no matter the decision of the Supreme Court.”
CAPAC Whip Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA urged that colleges use other strategies to maintain campus diversity.
“I strongly oppose the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College," said Lieu. "The majority opinion, however, contains a critical exception that I urge all colleges and universities to utilize: ‘nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.’ Many colleges and universities already employ this type of holistic admissions policy to achieve diversity on their student body mix and I urge them to continue to do so. When colleges reflect the diversity of America, all our communities are strengthened.”
“The Supreme Court’s decision to end the consideration of race as a factor in college admissions is a significant setback in our effort to eliminate disparities in access to higher education and ensure diverse learning environments for all students," said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, who is the ranking member f the House Education and Workforce Committee.
"It is now imperative that we review other facets in college admissions that research shows are racially discriminatory and have a disparate impact and determine if they too need to be eliminated, given today’s ruling," said Scott, whose ancestors include Filipino immigrants.
“We are outraged that the Supreme Court has chosen to ignore long-standing legal precedent in favor of supporting racial inequity that harms all people of color, including Asian Americans,” said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Advancing Justice – AAJC. “But we are more committed than ever to ensuring equal opportunity for our children – and for all children in this country. We will not let this court decision keep us from pushing colleges and universities, Congress, and others to keep today’s ruling from undermining the progress made toward educating future multiracial, talented leaders who deserve every opportunity to reach their highest potential on campuses that reflect the diversity of America.”
RELATED: Strongly worded dissenting opinions say race matters““Racism and anti-Blackness are inescapable in our country, and race-conscious admissions are a crucial tool in expanding opportunities for students of color that reckons with those realities," said Aarti Kohli, Executive Director of Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus.
"For Asian Americans, this ruling will particularly harm Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Southeast Asian communities who continue to face significant barriers to higher education. At a moment when our country is increasingly segregated and there are significant gaps in resources for majority minority schools, we call on Congress, our local elected leaders, and universities to do everything in their power to implement solutions we really need for economic equity and racial justice in our nation.”
“For Asian American students and all others, racially diverse student bodies both enhance their learning and foster understanding of each student’s lived experience,” said Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. “In our ever-changing global economy and platform, we must continue to give all students the opportunity to fulfill their potential and shape a future built strong on our biggest asset – our diversity.”
“We unequivocally condemn the ruling by the Supreme Court to reverse these affirmative action policies, thus ensuring that systemic racism continues to be embedded in higher education,” said Grace Pai, Executive Director of Advancing Justice – Chicago. “As Asian Americans, we will not allow our communities to be used as a prop by the conservative movement to advance a white supremacist agenda.”
“Declaring these race conscious policies unconstitutional is a barely disguised tool to once again remove students of color from our nation’s campuses and perpetuate the historical legacy of institutionalized racism in education that continues, especially in the south,” said Phi Nguyen, Executive Director of Advancing Justice – Atlanta. “We will continue to fight for racial justice and ensure that everyone has access to a quality education.”
“Today’s decision is an absolute gut punch to our country’s efforts in creating a more inclusive society for all. Affirmative action policies have been the victim of years of a well-funded intentionally dishonest misinformation campaign. Because of today’s ruling, we will see less diverse student bodies, a less prepared workforce, and ultimately a less competitive economy,” said OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates VP of Public Affairs Kendall Kosai. “Our nation’s future depends on racial equity and diversity in higher education to achieve a thriving, multiracial democracy. We must all continue to work together to achieve that goal, no matter the decision of the Supreme Court.”
Some responses, including members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) hinted what might happen in order to make up for the absence of affirmative action.
CAPAC Whip Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA urged that colleges use other strategies to maintain campus diversity.
“I strongly oppose the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College," said Lieu. "The majority opinion, however, contains a critical exception that I urge all colleges and universities to utilize: ‘nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.’ Many colleges and universities already employ this type of holistic admissions policy to achieve diversity on their student body mix and I urge them to continue to do so. When colleges reflect the diversity of America, all our communities are strengthened.”
Some members of Congress want to expand the Supreme Court's decision to include other traditional school admission practices that give preferences to White applicants.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to end the consideration of race as a factor in college admissions is a significant setback in our effort to eliminate disparities in access to higher education and ensure diverse learning environments for all students," said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA, who is the ranking member f the House Education and Workforce Committee.
"It is now imperative that we review other facets in college admissions that research shows are racially discriminatory and have a disparate impact and determine if they too need to be eliminated, given today’s ruling," said Scott, whose ancestors include Filipino immigrants.
"Race-conscious admissions policies provided a counterbalance to these discriminatory factors—such as inequitable K-12 schools, racially biased admissions tests, and developmental and legacy admissions—that all marginalize students of color. Now that the Court has invalidated that balance, I call on the Attorney General to start filing cases now against any current school practices that violate the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act because they have discriminatory impact.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.
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