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Dear John,
The Supreme Court may have ruled out affirmative action in elite college admissions for racial and ethnic minorities, but there’s one form of affirmative action that’s still going strong.
That’s right, it’s legacy admissions for the children of the super-rich.
Children of the super-rich are more than twice as likely to get into schools like Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and Stanford, compared to middle-class students with the same test scores. Thanks to legacy admissions, the children of CEOs and lawmakers are put on the fast track to become the next generation of CEOs and lawmakers. It’s a vicious cycle.
Check out our new video on how legacy admissions intensify the concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands with each generation, and share it with your friends.
Less than 1% of Americans get into one of these top schools, but their graduates account for 12% of the Fortune 500 CEOs, a quarter of all U.S. senators, and more than a third of all Americans with a net worth over $100 million. Do you see how this entrenches an American aristocracy?
The good news is that more than two-thirds of Americans -- 68% -- are in favor of banning legacy admissions altogether. In today’s polarized politics, this bipartisan consensus is unheard of.
If we can do away with giving a “leg up” to students who are not from advantaged backgrounds, can’t we stop giving an even bigger “leg up” to those who are?
Watch the video and share your comments below. Let us know what you think about legacy admissions and what can be done.
The Supreme Court demands race-blind college admissions. Let’s have legacy-blind college admissions as well.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media
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