Natasha Warikoo, a professor of sociology at Tufts University, believes affirmative action is worth saving, and we should find ways to reframe it:
I think it’s incredibly important to be thinking about race when we think about college applications. And I’ll just state three reasons why I think that’s true. I think the first is that race plays a role in the opportunity structure in the United States today. You know, we know that there are racial disparities in terms of what neighborhoods families live in. And so what schools children have access to in terms of ability to pay for private schools, extracurricular activities.
And we know that even in terms of families with the same income, they have different levels of wealth. So even Black, upper middle class families compared to white upper middle class families have a lot less wealth accumulation that happens over generations. And this shapes you know, again, the resources available. We know that there’s discrimination. So I think the main reason to me is that there are ways in which race plays a role in the opportunity structure. That is not just about a coincidence of class. That’s a remnant of past discrimination.
And the second reason is that it plays a role in the education of everyone on campus. White and Asian American students as well benefit from going to a college campus where there is a quorum of underrepresented minority students. And so they hear different perspectives in the classroom, in their discussions. And the research suggests that that makes for growth for everyone. And the third one is that if we want a diverse leadership, we want diversity in our C.E.O.s, in our Congress, in our Supreme Court, we need to create a pipeline. And part of that means affirmative action because of the underrepresentation that otherwise exists. And so I think those are the main reasons, and we know that it works. So absolutely, yes.
Ian Rowe, the former chief executive of Public Prep, a nonprofit charter school network, believes that race-based affirmative action needs to be retired in favor of class-based solutions:
Well, Natasha, I will respectfully disagree. Race-based affirmative action has certainly had value, and it is “worked” to some degree. But I would shift our focus now to economic disadvantage because, you know, if we want to create a more equitable society, I think if we focused on giving those who are economically disadvantaged of all races, then we’d be allowing more and more young people to get on the rung you know, on the economic ladder. I’m someone who runs a network of public charter schools, and my schools serve almost exclusively low income Black and Hispanic kids.
And so this idea of relying on race-based affirmative action that this sort of back-end Band-Aid will solve the problem, I think does a disservice. We need to strengthen the preparation of kids so that they can perform at the highest level. We’re not running our schools based on whether or not affirmative action is going to exist. They’ve got to be able to compete at the highest level. And when you look at the actual data of Black kids getting into elite colleges, what is very interesting is that the vast majority, something like two-thirds or 70 percent are Black kids from economically advantaged backgrounds.
So what that’s indicating is that even in the effort of trying to achieve more Black acceptance, the kids that are getting in, I don’t think are the ones that originally affirmative action by race was intended to serve. And unfortunately, the way that affirmative action has worked by race, it has tended to help create that perception because the idea is that, oh, well, if you’re Black maybe the reason you’re here is because of affirmative action, as opposed to your own merit. And those are some of the unintended consequences I think that have been built over time.
Students, read the entire article, listen to the podcast, or both, then tell us:
Do we still need affirmative action in higher education? Should colleges and universities consider race or ethnicity when making decisions about student admissions?
Did anything in the pieces above change your original thinking about this issue? Which arguments for or against affirmative action expressed in either the article or the podcast do you find most persuasive? Do you agree with Ms. Warikoo that affirmative action is needed to address the ways that “race plays a role in the opportunity structure” in our society? Or, are you more swayed by Mr. Rowe’s argument that while race-based affirmative action may have had a value in the past, we should “shift our focus now to economic disadvantage … if we want to create a more equitable society”?
How important an issue is affirmative action for you? Do you ever discuss the topic with friends or family? What is your reaction to the Harvard and North Carolina cases now before the Supreme Court?
Edward Blum, whose group Students for Fair Admissions brought both of the affirmative action cases before the Supreme Court, said: “Every college applicant should be judged as a unique individual, not as some representative of a racial or ethnic group.” However, Damon Hewitt, the president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, counters that “race-conscious admissions policies are a critical tool that ensures students of color are not overlooked in a process that does not typically value their determination, accomplishments and immense talents.” Do you think race should ever be used as a consideration in admissions for college applications? What about in other facets of society like in workplace hiring, in government and elsewhere?
What should be done about what some call “affirmative action” for rich white students like legacy admissions and geographic diversity? Ms. Warikoo points out that there are many kinds of benefits white people receive in the admissions process:
There are a lot of other factors that seem to advantage white students over all students of color, including Asian Americans, such as representation from all 50 states. And so when you’re looking for that student from Nebraska or Iowa, probably, it’s going to be a white student. Like athletic recruiting, again, you might think of athletic recruiting is like football players and basketball players, but there’s so many sports like squash, like crew, water polo. So athletic recruiting benefits whites over, again, all students of color..
How can we make the college admissions process more fair or equitable? If you were the head of college admissions at a college or university, what criteria would you use for judging applicants?
How do you think the Supreme Court will rule? What impact do you think these rulings will have on the future of affirmative action?
