The George Gund Foundation

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court majority—in a landmark ruling—held that U.S. colleges and universities can no longer consider race as a basis for college admissions. As an African-American, first-generation college student, who had to overcome racism, poverty, and homelessness in pursuit of a college education and upward mobility, I am deeply appreciative and unapologetic about the fact that race played a role in my college admission process. SCOTUS got it wrong: race-based affirmative action is still very much needed to ensure equitable access to higher education and to prevent both intentional and unintentional discriminatory practices in college admissions.