We have been concerned about the chilling effect on efforts to diversify campuses, as well as to cultivate inclusive environments.
National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
When the Supreme Court said “no” to Harvard’s and UNC’s racial preferences, many called it a win for Asians and a blow to Blacks. 20 years from now, it may be viewed as a win for truth, justice, and the American way, especially if moderates advance practical and principled policies that help every needy citizen achieve the American Dream.
Numerous polls show most Americans, including a majority of whites, support better educational opportunities for blacks (e.g. vouchers and school choice), but dislike the extremism of today’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) industry. In fact, 62% of Blacks oppose race-based admission policies (source: Pew Research). This is because everyone can see real diversity on America’s college campuses.
Since 1980, every racial group but white has increased its share of US college enrollment (source: Best College Survey). Sure, the “white privilege” trope persists, but Whites now comprise 59% of the US population and only 54% of college enrollment (source: USCB). In contrast, Asian, Black, and Hispanic shares of college enrollment exceed their shares of the US population. To wit, Blacks are 12.2% of the US population and 12.5% of college enrollment (source: USHHS).
The Truth of Affirmative Action
Like all government programs, Affirmative Action was beset by mission creep – from equal opportunity for Blacks to go to college to Blacks getting an elite pedigree from Harvard or Princeton. Don’t take my word for it – read Barack Obama’s tweet (below).
Affirmative action allowed Michelle and me to show we more than deserved a seat at the table. It proved we belong.
Barack Obama
Dr. King envisioned a nation where all Blacks would have an “equal opportunity” to get a college education. Obama sees a nation where an elite few earn “a seat at the table” in the Ivy League. King wanted none judged by their skin color. Obama wants racial preferences. King thought Americans should be judged by the “content of their character.” Obama thinks getting into Harvard and Princeton “proved” he and Michelle belonged. That’s a fleeting stereotype because…
A STEM degree from State U is now a better path to prosperity than an Arts degree from Yale – and any college can produce a winner. Oprah Winfrey went to Tennessee State. Sam Walton went to the University of Missouri. Michael Jordan went to UNC. Michael Dell went to the University of Texas. Steve Jobs went to Reed College. Steven Spielberg went to Cal State Long Beach. And Joe Biden went to the University of Delaware.
Asians Deserve Social Justice Too
In a report from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the executive summary read “superior academic achievement of Asian Americans is a well-documented phenomenon.” The admissions officers at Harvard and UNC know the average SAT score (1229) for Asians is higher than for Whites (1099) or Blacks (926). And, if justice matters, the cruel and discriminatory treatment of Asians in – and by – the USA is the equal of any aggrieved group.
Chinese were pressed into brutal labor in 1863 to build the western railroads. Japanese-American citizens were forced into internment camps in 1942. The Korean and Vietnam wars killed innocents and forced penniless refugees to the USA in the middle of the 20th century. There was a Chinese Exclusion Act, and a California ban on Asians marrying Caucasians until 1948. And here’s what Asians want: merit-based advancement (and a #2 pencil to take the SAT).
Don’t fault Asians for creating SFFA (Students for Fair Admissions) to fight Harvard’s “personal rating system” that found twice as many Asians as Blacks to have “worrisome” personalities, and twice as many Blacks as Asians to have “outstanding” personal qualities. Asian-Americans saw through the BS, and I know why. Harvard’s findings are the polar opposite of what I learned as board chair of a private school, where Asians were 25% of enrollment but none of the expulsions for alcohol, bullying, drugs, or sexual harassment. Within the fog of subjectivity, Harvard discriminated.
America Is Better For Competition and Achievement
Most liberals know competition exists in the real world, American know-how is being leached by our economic and military rivals, and the Great American Melting Pot is an unmatched advantage. A free market welcomes new races to the land of opportunity, where hard work and innovation has created wealth forever, be it Motown Records or El Dorado Furniture. And, when one orphan creates Apple Computer, every American takes a giant leap forward.
That “seat at the table” for most minorities is earned through entrepreneurship, which Obama misunderstood in his “you did not build that” speech in 2012 (success from government assistance, not “being smart” or “working hard”). Liar, because 4.4 million new businesses are started every year in the USA by entrepreneurs hoping for prosperity and influence (far more folks than the top 25 colleges graduate every year). Affirmative Action for entrepreneurs is the right to learn by doing – and it works!
When Obama left office, Blacks constituted 12.5% of US college students, 12.2% of the US population, but only 3% of US business owners, compared to Asians owning 10% of all US businesses (source: Pew Research). Once he left office, Republicans cut taxes and enacted enterprise zones. Blacks and Latinos now comprise, respectively, 6.3% and 15.4% of new entrepreneurs (source: USBLS). Just watch the winners appear!
It’s Good To Stir The Pot
After the Supreme Court overturned Affirmative Action, out-of-touch Al Sharpton said the conservative justices “stabbed black Americans in the back” on MSNBC. Who’s he speaking for, because only 36% of blacks disapprove of the Court’s decision (source: Economist/YouGov)? 1964 was three generations ago: America and education are greatly changed, so it’s probably time for a new approach. The guess here is millions of African-Americans know this.
