People protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for recent ways to achieve diverse student bodies. Photo: Mariam Zuhaib (AP)
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled to restrict affirmative action and eliminate race-conscious admissions in higher education. This decision reversed more than 40 years of court precedent. The Washington Post reviewed 30 years of ethnicity and race data from eight states that currently ban race-based admission policies in higher education to illustrate the tentative impact a federal impact on affirmative action will have on students of color.
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Two lawsuits served as the catalyst for the decision, one against the University of North Carolina and one against Harvard University. The plaintiffs in both cases claimed that race-conscious admissions favor some students — Black, Hispanic and Native Americans — over others. However, over the last 30 years, White students were overrepresented at the University of North Carolina.
The white freshman class started to achieve racial equality compared to state demographics in 2020. Black students were underrepresented by nearly 10 points. The Washington Post’s analysis of 30 years of race and ethnicity data from the eight states that currently ban race-based admission policies in higher education shows how a federal ban on affirmative action might harm minority students across the United States.
In states that had bans, Hispanic and Native Americans were less represented. This mean marginalized groups had even less representation when compared to states without bans. As opposed to previous state bans on affirmative action, the court’s federal ruling restricts race-conscious admissions policies at private universities. The data presented by the outlet shows a ban on affirmative action in private schools could drastically alter the racial and ethnic makeup of American schools.
For example, the affirmative action ban in California kept Berkeley and UCLA from becoming more diverse. When race-based bans were implemented, selective schools saw drops in Black and Hispanic enrollment. However, in less selective public universities their representation increased. On a state by state basis, selective universities in banned states frequently see no improvements toward a more representative freshman class.
However, racial and ethnic parity closes in for public universities in those states that are less selective. Affirmative action is a vital tool in having diverse student populations in higher ed. The Supreme Court’s decision is a devastating blow to achieving this and its effects will be profound.
