![]() ![]() If the court rules against affirmative action, it will be important for colleges to find ways to show they see the students as more than a number on paper, said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “But I think that that kind of narrative also helps me to be an Asian American focused on racial justice, focused on making sure that everyone who has a unique story related to their racial background or any background has that story heard.” “I grew up as the son of refugees in a low-income community and a single parent family burdened with the model minority myth,” he said. Jonathan Loc, a graduate student at Harvard who helped organize teach-ins in support of affirmative action, said that for students of color, it’s impossible to speak about their lives without mentioning race, whether through hardships faced or simply their pride in their cultural heritage. But in states that have already banned affirmative action, similar efforts at selective colleges have largely failed to maintain diversity gains. Others are planning to boost recruiting in racially diverse areas. In anticipation of a possible ruling against race-conscious admissions, some colleges are considering adding more essays to get a better picture of an applicant’s background. “The decision is going to very likely be something that is scary to a lot of us,” she said. ![]() She recalled classes where students discussed their lived experiences on topics such as police violence, colonialism and labor movements - discussions that would have fallen flat without a diverse range of student perspectives. Tarina Ahuja, a rising senior at Harvard College, said being part of a diverse student body has been a crucial part of her undergraduate experience. Justices have also agreed with arguments that more diverse student bodies promoted cross-racial understanding.īut with the Supreme Court skewing more ideologically conservative, some former students and advocates worry how a ruling against affirmative action might affect diversity on campuses. Since the late 1970s, the Supreme Court has three times upheld affirmative action in college admissions on grounds that institutions have a compelling interest to address past discrimination that shut nonwhite students out of higher learning. Policies were also created to promote greater inclusion of women. In the 1960s and 1970s, many colleges developed affirmative action plans to address the fact that many predominantly white schools struggled to attract people from historically disadvantaged and underrepresented communities. “This is a long tactic of conservative, white supremacist-leaning groups to use education and limit Black people’s access to education, as a way to further control and oppress us.” “This is white supremacy at work,” Green said. Critics say opposition to such programs is rooted in questions of fairness and in white grievances over the advancement of nonwhite people. Green said she sees both court cases as connected to conservative attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. ![]()
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