The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the University of Michigan Law School can continue to weigh an applicant’s race or ethnicity when making admission decisions does indeed make for a likely showdown in the Supreme Court.
But this is one battle that can’t come soon enough. The law school’s policy isn’t about quotas; it is about giving minorities a fighting chance to play ball on a level playing field. It is not an entitlement program but, rather, a diversity plan that guarantees our youth access to a learning environment rich in varied cultures and steeped in traditions that they might otherwise never be exposed to.
If America is indeed a vast melting pot, then why shouldn’t our classrooms and boardrooms equally reflect our ethnic makeup?
By providing minorities access to higher education, we guarantee our younger generation a chance to overcome racial inequalities that pervade our educational system.
Access to education is a vital step toward building a diverse workplace and a unified nation. Race-blind admissions, with no regard to the hurdles minorities must overcome, will only undermine the potential of the future leadership of this country.
Is there a need for affirmative action? The University of Michigan Law School and the federal appeals court correctly answered that question. Yes, there remains a need in America today.
When will that need end? When the appointment of three black CEOs to run major corporations in America isn’t newsworthy of a Newsweek cover story.
