Supreme Court affirmative action ruling proves American Dream is for all Americans
There is nothing more un-American than to be limited in your potential because of your ethnic background or the color of your skin. The Supreme Court’s decision announced June 29, in the consolidated cases of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) v. Harvard and University of North Carolina is a victory for the American Dream and students across the country.
For 40 years, American colleges and universities have stacked the deck against Asian Americans in the name of diversity. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race.
That hasn’t stopped prominent colleges and universities from using race and ethnicity to deny admission to unfavored minorities. Affirmative action’s discriminatory nature has been deeply impactful to the approximately 22 million Asian Americans who deserve equal opportunities to pursue their education.
When this case was accepted by the court, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow issued a statement accusing the plaintiffs of political motivations. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to end racial discrimination in college admissions. Here are the justices: (front row L-R) Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan, (back row L-R) Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
A 2019 survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that 24.6% of schools admitted that race had a "considerable" or "moderate" influence on admissions.
The bias is significant enough that the Princeton Review, a company dedicated to college prep and test-taking strategies, advised Asian highschoolers in their book "Cracking College Admissions," to avoid including a photo of themselves in their application, refrain from answering any questions about their ethnic background, and stay away from writing their admissions essays about their cultures.
It is disgusting that academically accomplished students should be forced to hide who they are for a decent shot at attending a university. I immigrated to this country from South Korea when I was 19 years old to pursue an education in California.
I am living my American Dream because, in this country, your actions determine your fate — not your race, ethnicity or socio-economic background.
I have worked for decades to ensure that students of all races and backgrounds are judged solely on their merits. In 1996, I campaigned for California’s Proposition 209, which banned racial preferences in public hiring, education and contracting.
After Proposition 209 passed, graduation rates drastically improved for all minorities. Californians recognized the value of eliminating racial discrimination in education and overwhelmingly rejected an effort to reintroduce racial preferences in 2021.
Last Congress, I asked the secretary of Education about these discriminatory practices at universities like Harvard, and he agreed that "students should have an opportunity to apply and get into colleges based on their own merit."
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Most recently, I led an amicus brief with 81 of my colleagues in Congress to support the plaintiffs of SFFA v. Harvard and U.N.C., and I am proud to see the fruits of our labor in the Supreme Court’s decision.
I immigrated to this country from South Korea when I was 19 years old to pursue an education in California. I am living my American Dream because, in this country, your actions determine your fate — not your race, ethnicity or socio-economic background.
As a nation, we believe, as taught by Dr. Martin Luther King, that every human should " not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." For 40 years, that belief was conveniently ignored by American universities, but no longer.
This marks a new day for higher education. Thanks to the brave young men and women who spoke up about their experience with racial discrimination, future students across the country can be assured that their path to achieve their American Dream will be determined only by their efforts and achievements.
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Racial and ethnic discrimination has no place in this country. We are a nation of immigrants, and each of us, from every ethnic and racial background, adds a valuable and irreplaceable ingredient to the American melting pot. But we cannot undermine other’s opportunities in the name of equality.
The Supreme Court’s decision reaffirms our American creed of liberty and justice for all. I look forward to wonderful accomplishments by the young men and women who will once again be able to pursue their full potential in confidence that the American Dream is alive and well.
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Republican Michelle Steel represents California’s 48th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a first generation Korean American and is one of the first Korean American women ever to serve in the U.S. Congress.
