Affirmative action was officially overturned June 29, 2023 in a six to three decision; with the six conservative judges voting for the overturning. Although affirmative action affects a variety of institutions, the original court case was based on the topic of college admissions.
The basis of the ruling stated that it was unconstitutional to use race as a factor in college admissions since it could discriminate against white and Asian students. To many people this seems like a logical outcome as America works to better itself. Yet the ruling may have serious effects on the number of Black and Latino college students.
Before we touch on the consequences, we must discuss the history of affirmative action. Affirmative action was created in order to improve employment and educational opportunities of minorities; this has included women, people of color, people with disabilities, and people a part of the LGBTQ+ community. It, affirmative action, allowed colleges and jobs to use race as a major component when considering a candidate. The action was taken during the Johnson administration to remedy the discrimination against these minority groups.
As an action that is supposed to support minorities, what happens now? According to Forbes, it is believed that 40%-60% of Black students, and 25%-45% of Latino students, will be displaced when it comes to colleges. It is also expected that there will be a drop in Black, Latino, and Indigenous enrollment.
Some schools have already made changes to the topics that they accept in college essays. Many students have been instructed to change the way they write about their race; schools have been asking students to write about race in correlation with how it has fostered courage and determination. “A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, according to The New York Times. Although it may not seem so, this ask considerably diminishes the impact of race on a students’ life.
Outside the topic of college admissions, the end of affirmative action may lead to an increase in colored-blindness in government policies. Color-blindness is a statement used to describe the absence of prejudice, discrimination, or differentiation on the basis of skin color or race, according to Oxford Languages. Color-blindness may seem acceptable, but it allows people to ignore the discrimination against communities of color. This would not stop discrimination from happening, but encourage it instead.
It may not all be bad news, though. Some schools have started to create alternate policies in order to support students of Black and Latino heritage. Hopefully, more colleges will start to implement similar policies.
As time advances, Americans will be able to see the differing effects of the end of affirmative action. There is a possibility that some of these negative effects may diminish, or be canceled out by upcoming policies. Only time will tell.
