Former Obama-era Education Secretary John King Jr. said Thursday the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action is “heartbreaking for our democracy.”
King said on MSNBC that U.S. democracy is better when it is “diverse,” and reiterated the argument that less black and Hispanic students will attend elite institutions or be prepared for “leadership roles” with the elimination of affirmative action.
“It’s heartbreaking for our democracy,” King began. “Our democracy is stronger when leadership is diverse, and moving to a place where selective institutions do not have the tool of race-conscious admissions means that we will see fewer black and Latino students in those institutions. We will see fewer black and Latino students prepared for leadership roles, whether it’s in government, business, the military, and so it is now incumbent on us in the higher education sector to do everything we can to preserve a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The Court considered the case brought forth by students alleging Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill discriminated against white and Asian applicants through affirmative action policies. An 18-year-old Asian student named Jon Wang told Fox News earlier in June that affirmative action policies prevented him from being admitted into the nation’s top-tier schools despite his SAT and ACT scores, which he said were exceptionally high.
Colleges and universities have displayed segregation against white and Asian students in recent years regarding standardized test scores, housing and commencement ceremonies. (RELATED: The Supreme Court’s Coming Ruling On Affirmative Action Could Have Ripple Effects Through Corporate America)
White and Asian American applicants with lower test scores are commonly discounted during the admissions process, while black and brown students with scores are admitted. In 2021, the average SAT score for Asian Americans was 1,239; for white people, 1,112; for Hispanics, 967 and for black people, 934, George Mason University law professor David Bernstein told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Ivy League schools, including Harvard and Columbia University, have held segregated commencement ceremonies for students based on race in the past. In 2021, Columbia held six online graduation ceremonies divided by race and socio-economic status.