President, Advocates and Educators Slam High Court Ruling on Affirmative Action

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden strongly criticized the Supreme Court’s Thursday ruling against using race-based affirmative action in college admissions, saying the decision “walked away from decades of precedent.”

“We cannot let this decision be the last word,” Biden said in a White House address. “The court can render a decision, but it cannot change what America stands for.” 

According to the court’s ruling, the affirmative action policies implemented by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional. Chief Justice John Roberts, in the majority opinion, asserted that the universities’ policies violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

The president cited the opinion, emphasizing that colleges should not be barred from considering the impact of race on an applicant’s life.

“Discrimination still exists in America. Today’s decision has not changed that,” Biden said. “Today, for too many schools, the only people who benefit from the system are the wealthy and the well-connected. The odds have been stacked against working people for much too long. We need a higher education system that works for everyone.”

Biden stated that he and his administration remain firm in their commitment to diversity in education. 

“We need to keep an open door of opportunities. We need to remember that diversity is our strength; we have to find a way forward. We need to remember that the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed. And that’s the work of my administration. And I’m always going to fight for that,” he said. 

Following the announcement of the Supreme Court’s decision, protestors gathered outside the courthouse to express their disappointment and anger. 

“We live in a multiracial democracy that is now at threat today because of the ruling that was issued by the Supreme Court,” said protest organizer Kashish Bastola. “I think that it looks like we’re divided today. But the truth is that a lot of this country is actually united in a belief that race is an important part of our identity and that it deserves a place in the college admissions process.”

Bastola continued, “It’s possible for every person in any racial grouping or any background to work towards a vision of America where affirmative action is no longer necessary. But right now is not the moment. We are not at that place in our nation where we can just get rid of it.”

American University Professor of Communications Aram Sinnreich joined in on the protest, commenting, “I think its net consequences will be to create a less just and equitable society, in which one of the most important correctives to structural racism has been eliminated. 

“Long term, it’s very likely that it’s going to eliminate the proportion of people from disadvantaged segments of society in higher education. The net result of that will be to eliminate the proportion of people from disadvantaged segments of society who play a role in making decisions that affect everyone in American society,” he added. 

Also outside of the courthouse, supporters and members of Students for Fair Admissions were celebrating the decision. 

“I’m very proud of this team, and I’m very proud of the result today,” said Students for Fair Admissions supporter Yuyan Zhou. “This is not just about Asia. I feel like this is for America.” 

Zhou continued, “It is about time we see each other as all Americans rather than identify by race. Merit-based [and your] character should be the only thing that’s considered — not race.” 

While the court’s decision will remove race-based affirmative action policies from colleges and universities, students can still include how race has influenced their life, specifically in the essay portion of the application. 

In a written statement signed by the Harvard administration, they stated, “The court ruled that colleges and universities may consider in admissions decisions ‘an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise.’ We will certainly comply with the court’s decision. 

“In the weeks and months ahead, drawing on the talent and expertise of our Harvard community, we will determine how to preserve, consistent with the court’s new precedent, our essential values,” they concluded. 

In a written statement directed at students of the institution, Christopher Everett, student body president of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, said, “Given our school’s involvement and the upsetting outcome of the ruling, I wanted to share my thoughts on how to move forward as a community.

“You have earned your place here. You elected me to fight for a Carolina for Everyone – and on a larger scale, that campaign is far from over,” Everett said. “As Chancellor [Kevin] Guskiewicz said in his statement earlier today, ‘Carolina is passionately public.’ Carolina should be a place teeming with the same diversity we see across our state. But this decision makes many of us – including me – feel less at home here, and I want to echo your anger and your anxiety.

“As a Black student, I know firsthand that the barriers to higher education are high enough. Today, they might feel insurmountable,” he continued. “In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writes: “deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.” Though we have lost affirmative action, there is nothing we can do to shake the centuries of oppression Black Americans have faced since the founding of our country and our university.

“We cannot allow ‘race neutral’ to become the new ‘separate but equal.’” Everett added. “If we allow ourselves to become complacent, this decision could make our student body less representative, lowering student outcomes and leaving graduates less prepared for an increasingly diverse world – the results of which could be felt for generations to come.

“The path forward will be challenging, but it is crucial that we succeed. Anything less would be a betrayal of our values: to prepare a diverse community of students to become the next generation of leaders that solves the world’s greatest problems,” he added.

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