‘I can’t imagine the level of uncertainty current high schoolers must be feeling’: Former and current Ivy League students weigh in after Supreme Court bans affirmative action
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to ban affirmative action in college admissions on June 29, current students and graduates from Ivy League colleges and universities are speaking out.
On June 29, Leleda (@leleda), who is a student at Yale University, shared her thoughts on affirmative action and how denying “race-conscious admissions” affects prospective Black, Brown and Indigenous college students.
“I can’t imagine the level of uncertainty current high schoolers must be feeling,” reads her caption.
“The premise of affirmative action lies in placing favor on certain individuals or certain groups,” she says. “We often hear it being used in relation to race, but there are many other ways that we favor individuals in the college admissions process. Think, private tutors, S.A.T. prep tutors, feeder schools, legacies, connections. By having access to any of that, you are more likely, and oftentimes, more successful at being admitted to a college.”
The race-conscious admissions processes that the Supreme Court struck down have long been used to increase the inclusion of underrepresented minority students on campuses in America.
Chief Justice John Roberts, in the majority opinion, stated that a student “must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual not on the basis of race” and that, for too long, universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built or lessons learned but the color of their skin.”
In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the Court’s decision suggests that “a person’s skin color may play a role in assessing individualized suspicion, but it cannot play a role in assessing that person’s individualized contributions to a diverse learning environment.”
“So it seems that placing favor on all those things are OK, but when it comes to simply considering race, that’s too much of a launching pad,” Leleda continues. “Being Black wasn’t enough to get me or anyone else into a school like Yale.”
Diversity, Leleda argues, is integral to an Ivy League environment.
‘All I know, is that my kids and those of many, many Black and Brown students will be legacies…I wonder what the justice system will say about legacy-based admissions.’
“The collective experience of international students, students from different backgrounds, different incomes — it all enhances our education,” she says. “I’m not sure what college applications or essay topics will look like … four years from now. All I know, is that my kids and those of many, many Black and Brown students will be legacies. And when that happens? I wonder what the justice system will say about legacy-based admissions.”
High school students, particularly those who are in the position of applying to colleges, have taken to Leleda’s comments to voice their concerns.
“thanks for speaking on this! i’m a rising hs senior and so so disappointed that we’re moving backwards like this,” @aaalem wrote.
“Can’t wait to see legacy admissions swiftly overturned, if they don’t value diversity of thought there’s absolutely no need for generational privilege,” @samir.rah replied.
“as a latina who’s dream is to study political science at yale, this was sent out to all my group chats,” @lil_swan06 commented.
Alvin Tillery, a political science professor at Northwestern University, argues that striking down affirmative action does not eliminate the consideration of race in the college admissions process, especially for colleges and universities that still use legacy status in their admission decisions.
“They’re saying that race can’t be used at all, but what they’re really saying is it can’t be used for Black, brown, and poor Asian kids,” he told Time.
Added Tillery: “Race is going to be used for white kids. It already is because of legacy admissions. If all of these schools were segregated, until the middle of the 1970s, and you’re admitting someone because their grandfather and father went to that university, that is a racialized benefit.”
According to the New York Times, the Supreme Court’s ruling is also expected to result in fewer Black and brown students in higher education, like “medical schools, law schools and other professional degree programs.” Historically Black colleges or universities may also see an increase in applicants.
“College-ready Black students and their families will say, ‘We don’t want to go to places where we’re not wanted,'” David A. Thomas, the president of Morehouse College, a competitive HBCU in Atlanta, said via the New York Times. “And they will look for alternatives.”
Recent Columbia University graduate Deja Foxx (@deja_foxx) addressed other first-generation, low-income students of color in her latest TikTok.
“To all the other First Gen, Low Income, Black and Brown kids waking up to this news, know your experiences and identities add value to your campuses,” she says. “You deserve to be in these classrooms.”
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