Pryor condemns United States Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action
Today, members of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) released their 6-3 ruling on Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard, ruling that colleges and universities cannot base their admission decisions on race. This, in effect, guts affirmative action, a practice which has been upheld by the Supreme Court since 1978.
State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis), released the following statement today regarding the SCOTUS decision:
“This ruling undoes the critical work that African American activists and activists from minority communities have done over the course of decades to level the playing field in higher education. In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson argued that we cannot pretend that we are a colorblind society. I agree. Not only can we not pretend that we are a colorblind society, we should not aim to be. In order to achieve full and true racial equality in America, we have to address, head-on, the systemic barriers that too often keep African Americans and other Americans of color from achieving their American Dream. We will never accomplish this if those in the highest positions in the nation continue to ignore the realities of the country we live in.
“Affirmative action does not mean, nor has it ever meant, that unqualified students are accepted into colleges and universities simply because of the color of their skin. It simply guaranteed that qualified minority students were given a chance to achieve a higher education.
“In our current reality, without affirmative action upheld by the Supreme Court, Indiana lawmakers need to make an intentional effort to ensure African American and minority students are not left behind in our K-12 classrooms. Systemic racism in our country has led to minority students being at a disadvantage in the classroom. From preparedness for standardized exams and access to opportunities to receive tutoring or after-school programs, we need to do everything in our power to close the achievement gap to prepare all of our students for success in the classroom and post-secondary education.
“A college education does more than provide one individual training for a future career. A college education – and a more educated populace – has the potential to lead the entire country to prosperity and break the cycle of poverty for generations of families. Without affirmative action protected by the Supreme Court, I’m concerned these opportunities will be withheld from African Americans and communities of color. This is a sad day for our country, and it’s a painful reminder that elections have consequences. This decision from SCOTUS is a call to action. It’s reasonable to be discouraged, but not to give up the fight for equitable access to education and the endless opportunities that come with it.”