In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has ruled to strike down affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard, marking a significant victory for conservative activists and effectively ending the systematic consideration of race in the college admissions process.
With a majority vote of 6-3 in the UNC case and 6-2 in the Harvard case (Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was recused), the court deemed both programs as violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, making them unlawful. This is a tough blow for institutions that have relied on affirmative action to promote diversity and inclusivity on their campuses.
Here’s where things get tricky. Without race-conscious admissions, universities will need to find new ways to foster diversity among their applicant pools. Unfortunately, minority populations are still underrepresented in higher education, and this ruling could hinder the progress that universities have made in diversifying their student bodies.
Experts in education policy and admissions are concerned about the potential consequences of eliminating race-conscious admissions. They worry that without the ability to consider race in admissions and without supportive programs for underrepresented students, graduation rates for students of color may be negatively affected. There’s a genuine fear that these students might struggle to succeed or even decide not to pursue higher education at all without the necessary support.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said that this is a sad day from America considering Texas has also “outlawed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education”.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee stated that academic institutions work best when they are diverse and work to expand to communities who’ve never experienced education
“Now because of the Supreme Court decision the opportunities for those young people who aspire to higher education have gone completely dark. We MUST find a way to ensure that America’s best continues to receive the best opportunities for higher education and employment.”
Rep. Jarvis Johnson summed up his thought with just a few words. “The progress of Black people feels like oppression to White Supremacists.”
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said this is an attack on the hard-won progress of Black people in this country.
“No wonder the public trust in SCOTUS is at historic lows,” he said.
Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee described the SCOTUS decision to be a national travesty.
My experience as a Black lawyer has put me in spaces where almost no one looked like me or had similar life experiences. This SCOTUS decision ends a key program that was working to help ensure that those rooms look different when Black kids like my son head to college.