U.S. colleges, universities and corporations must prioritize racial equity and inclusion.

DEMAND THAT U.S. COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES & CORPORATIONS DO WHAT’S NEEDED TO ELIMINATE WHITE PRIVILEGE!

John, 

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted key tenets of  affirmative action and chipped away at  protections against discriminatory college admissions. Court decisions attacking Black people aren’t isolated incidents. Decisions like this are the inevitable result of a court that has been unduly influenced by wealthy individuals and corporations that funnel resources into dark money groups focused on preserving white privilege. These same bad actors aren’t stopping at higher education. They’re trying to halt efforts to directly combat racial discrimination in every aspect of American life.  In the last few years, we’ve seen harmful laws and decisions against Black wealth-building, career advancement and political power — and this affirmative action decision is the next attack in that coordinated, ongoing war against Black progress.  

That’s why we’re demanding that U.S. colleges, universities and corporations take steps to dismantle this privilege-based system and give our communities a fair shot!

Black people have long experienced systemic discrimination that has kept us on the outside looking in, shutting us out of opportunities to build economic prosperity and benefit from government investment. From lending and housing to employment and college applications, white people still enjoy unfair advantages that Black people don’t. Take Harvard University as an example: 43% of admitted white students were recruited athletes, legacy students, children of faculty and staff, or on the dean’s interest list (applicants whose parents or relatives have donated to Harvard).1 Without these advantages, roughly 75% of these students would have been rejected — yet there is no Supreme Court case to address these types of admissions.2 We need policies that eliminate those unfair advantages. Affirmative action was the kind of policy that compensated for the ongoing harm that's inflicted on generations of Black people. 

DEMAND THAT U.S. COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES & CORPORATIONS DO WHAT’S NEEDED TO ELIMINATE WHITE PRIVILEGE!

John, losing is not an option. 

Although the recent decision is specific to higher education, the ramifications may have a far-reaching impact. Hiring processes —particularly diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts — are now at risk of once again leaving qualified Black applicants out of good, high-paying jobs and widening the racial wealth gap. Just like education, good jobs directly impact the Black community’s ability to attain generational wealth. According to an audit conducted by Demos in 2016, “the typical white household had $111,146 in wealth, compared to $7,113 for Blacks and $8,348 for Latinos.”3 Income is also stratified by race; in 2013, the Census Bureau reported that “the typical white household has an income of $58,270… compared to $34,598 for Blacks and $40,963 for Hispanics.”4

Inequality and bias poison our whole society, coursing through the legal and social veins of society, and we need more antidotes for it. Even affirmative action didn’t cure it. We need more — not fewer — racial equity antidotes to overcome the discrimination in every realm of life. 

We already know what will happen if U.S. colleges, universities and corporations do not take action. When California banned affirmative action, the number of Black students in the University of California’s first-year class at Berkeley and UCLA was slashed nearly in half.5 Among all states that banned affirmative action, the proportion of students from underrepresented backgrounds in publicly funded medical schools fell by more than a third in just five years.6 With just 5.7 percent of all physicians identifying as Black, the repeal of equitable admissions processes could further reduce these numbers, making it even harder for our communities to access safe, unbiased and holistic medical care.7

John, we cannot allow history to repeat itself. 

U.S. colleges, universities and corporations must do what’s needed to dismantle these privilege-based systems. Our lives and livelihoods are on the line. Will you join Color Of Change in demanding that U.S. colleges and universities and corporate employers prioritize racial equity in their admissions and hiring processes? 

YES, I WILL DEMAND THAT U.S. COLLEGES/ UNIVERSITIES & CORPORATIONS TAKE STEPS TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD! 

Until Justice Is Real, 

Rashad Robinson

References:

  1. Daniella Silva, “Study on Harvard finds 43 percent of white donors are legacy, athletes, related to donors or staff,” NBC News, September 30, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/397262?t=10&akid=57003%2E4731121%2EPsVUql

  2. Ibid.

  3. Amy Traub, Catherine Ruetschlin, Laura Sullivan, Tatjana Meschede, Lars Dietrich, and Thomas Shapiro, “The Racial Wealth Gap: Why Policy Matters,” Demos, June 26, 2016, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/397263?t=12&akid=57003%2E4731121%2EPsVUql 

  4. By Michael A. Fletcher, “White high school dropouts are wealthier than black and Hispanic college graduates. Can a new policy tool fix that?” Washington Post, March 10, 2015, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/397264?t=14&akid=57003%2E4731121%2EPsVUql 

  5. Teresa Watanbe, “California banned affirmative action in 1996. Inside the UC struggle for diversity,” LA Times, October 22, 2023, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/397265?t=16&akid=57003%2E4731121%2EPsVUql

  6. Enrique Rivero, “Affirmative action bans had ‘devastating impact’ on diversity in medical schools, UCLA-led study finds,” UCLA Newsroom, May 2, 2022, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/397266?t=18&akid=57003%2E4731121%2EPsVUql

  7.  Jacqueline Howard,”Only 5.7% of U.S. doctors are Black, and experts warn the shortage harms public health,” CNN Health, February 21, 2023, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/397267?t=20&akid=57003%2E4731121%2EPsVUql