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** OCA Applauds Circuit Court's Ruling to Uphold Harvard's Race-Conscious Admissions Policy
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

16 November 2020

Contact: Eiley Fong | Communications Associate
202.223.5500 | [email protected] ([link removed] [email protected])

Washington, DC – Last week, theU.S. Court for the First Circuit in Massachusetts ruled in a 2-0 decision in SFFA v. Harvard ([link removed]) that Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policy is lawful and does not discriminate against Asian American students. The court found that Harvard’s policy is within Supreme Court precedent for diversity requirements and upheld the lower court’s opinion. OCA values diversity and equity, and supports the court's ruling upholding Harvard's race-conscious admissions policy. OCA acknowledges the importance of diversity in education and that race is one of many factors in a holistic admissions process.

Affirmative action policies can level the playing field for the diverse AAPI community, which has been shown to have tremendous income and education disparity through disaggregated US Census data. For example, Southeast Asian Americans have some of the lowest rates of higher education attainment: between 50-60% of Southeast Asian Americans over the age of 25 have not attended college.

"A diverse educational environment is an integral tenant of learning that benefits all students including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs),” says Sharon M. Wong, National President. “OCA will continue to work for and support policies that increase education access and opportunities for AAPI communities across the country, including race-conscious admissions policies.”

OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

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