Affirming Equity. Ensuring Inclusion. Empowering Action. An Agenda for a post-Affirmative Action World Based on the Upcoming Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS)

Over the past forty years, race-based affirmative action has helped boost the admissions chances for many marginalized students. On October 31, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court heard two major cases concerning race-based affirmative action at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Given the court’s composition, it seems very likely that the justices will use the cases to ban any form of affirmative action in college admissions in the United States. The long history of racial discrimination means that race-blind (or race-neutral) admissions would allow historic discrimination — embodied in racial bias in K-12 education, income inequality, and segregation — to carry on, especially in our higher education institutions.