On Thursday, June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC, succumbing to anti-civil rights messaging from known supposed “race blind” litigators such as Ed Blum. CAA is frustrated and disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action, which defies nearly 50 years of precedent, and will have devastating consequences for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian American students for generations to come.
But it’s not over yet. Since our inception, CAA has been on the front lines defending our right to be seen as we are in college admissions and beyond. We mobilized the power of the people in D.C. and shared our stories to the world. And we’ve done so from the principle of fighting against racial exclusion, and for educational opportunity for those most in need.
These are the principles of affirmative action. It’s our organization’s namesake because we’ve always stood strong for equal opportunity, for equity, and for justice.
And we always will. The right-wing has appropriated our tactics and are trying to silence our voices, claiming to speak on our behalf, while they work against everything we have fought for. It’s time for us to speak up and reclaim this moment in history.
Below are some resources for our partners and allies in this fight. We must remember that this doesn’t end with affirmative action. It ends when we all arrive at justice and freedom together — all our communities together.
Resources
Next Steps:
- First, read our official statement on the Supreme Court decision.
- Second, read topline messaging from Asian American advocates for affirmative action. These are the values and talking points that emphasize the ultimate goal of education: to allow students to follow their dreams, celebrate their identities, and reach their full potential.
- Next, take action and sign our petition to colleges and universities around the country. We’re asking them to affirm the promise of education by standing up for racial diversity, discontinuing harmful admission processes, and implementing more support for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Help us amplify the petition on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
- Then, read CAA’s Education Equity Policy Manager Sally Chen’s story in the LA Times: “I’m an Asian American Harvard grad. Affirmative action helped me.” Chen’s story is just one example of many that show how crucial race-conscious admissions are for students to be seen as they are.
- Finally, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, where we’ll continue to share messaging and next steps for the fight for education equity.
Events:
- We’ll be reacting to the Supreme Court decision with CAA’s Education Equity Manager Sally Chen and Andrew Brennen on Instagram Live. Follow us to get updates! (Virtual. Friday, June 30. 3pm PT/6pm ET.)
- Defend Diversity will be leading a post-decision rally on Harvard’s campus. Follow them on Instagram for updates. (In-person. John Harvard Statue, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA. July 1. 2 p.m. ET.)
- Affirmative Action Decision Day Roundtable, hosted by the African American Policy Forum. Register here for the roundtable. (Virtual, Thursday, June 29. 4pm PT/7pm ET.)
Other useful resources:
- Check out our IG Live series, where we speak with high school students and comedian Jes Tom about the state of college admissions and affirmative action in the country.
- Learn more about Ed Blum’s history as an anti-civil rights litigator and the network of powerful, wealthy, right-wing funders attacking affirmative action in Slate.
- Jeff Chang writes about the lost history of the fight for affirmative action led by Asian Americans for The Guardian and Indie Lens StoryCast.
- Read about L. Ling-chi Wang’s fight for fair admissions in the New York Times.
- Check out Affirmative Action and Race-Conscious Admissions Toolkit by CAA, Asian American Futures, and Xinsheng Project designed for activists, organizers, and community members.
- AAPI Data reports 69% of registered Asian American voters support affirmative action, dated August 2022.
- A new Pew Research Center poll found that 53% of Asian American voters who have heard of affirmative action believe that it is a good thing, dated June 2023.
Chinese language resources:
- Visit Justice Patch for our Chinese-language coverage of affirmative action.
- Visit PiYaoBa, our Chinese-language fact-checking site that combats right-wing disinformation!
- For Mandarin language speakers: Education Equity Policy Manager Sally Chen speaks with Xiaofeng Wan, Associate Dean of Admission at Amherst College, to learn more about how holistic college admissions works in the US, on our Chinese language audio workshop series.
- Chen continues the conversation in Mandarin with Andrea Pien, Associate Director of College Counseling at Friends’ Central School in Pennsylvania and a former college admissions officer on our Chinese language audio workshop series.
