Former Obama-era Education Secretary John King Jr. said on Thursday that the Supreme Court’s rejection of affirmative action was “heartbreaking for our democracy.”
Speaking on MSNBC, Dr. King said that American democracy is better when it’s “diversified,” and that fewer black and Hispanic students are attending elite institutions, and that the abolition of affirmative action will lead to “leadership roles.” He repeated the claim that he would be unable to prepare for .
“This is heartbreaking for our democracy,” King began. “Our democracies are stronger when leadership is diverse. It means fewer black and Latino students in institutions, and fewer black and Latinx students ready for leadership roles in government, business, and the military. It is therefore our mandate in the higher education sector to do all we can to maintain our commitment to diversity, equity and social inclusion.”
The court reviewed lawsuits filed by students alleging that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill discriminated against white and Asian applicants through their affirmative action policies.An 18-year-old Asian student named John Wang Said Fox News reported in early June that affirmative action policies were preventing him from getting into the nation’s top schools, despite his extremely high SAT and ACT scores.
In recent years, universities have discriminated against white and Asian students in terms of standardized test scores, housing and graduation ceremonies. (Related: Upcoming Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action could have ripple effects across American corporations)
White and Asian American applicants with low test scores are usually discounted during the admissions process, while black and brown students with high scores are admitted. In 2021, the average SAT score for Asian Americans was 1,239. 1,112 for whites. There were 967 Hispanics and 934 blacks, George Mason University law professor David Bernstein told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Columbia have held graduation ceremonies that segregated students based on race in the past. In 2021, Columbia University will host six online graduation ceremonies divided by race and socioeconomic status.
