In today’s ruling on affirmative action in higher education, the Supreme Court has delivered a significant blow to the older white population in their ongoing struggle for control against the diverse and more populous younger generations. The decision comes at a time when students of color now make up the majority of high school graduates in the United States. This ruling has the potential to further widen the gap between a rapidly diversifying youth population and a primarily white student body in elite colleges and universities, which serve as the breeding ground for future leaders in both public and private sectors. This could inevitably lead to heightened social tension.
Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, explains that education plays a vital role in perpetuating racial, class, and gender differences from one generation to the next. With the elimination of affirmative action, the governing elite in American society will increasingly fail to represent the diversity of the nation. Essentially, the Republican-appointed justices are reinforcing the affluence and status that allow white individuals to maintain the most influence in society. This ruling aligns with conservative measures seen in red states that aim to limit the potential influence of younger generations by imposing stricter voting regulations, banning certain books, and censoring discussions of race and gender inequalities in education.
These conflicts highlight the growing tension between what I refer to as the “brown and the gray.” The younger, racially and culturally diverse generations are becoming the cornerstone of the Democratic political coalition, while the predominantly white older generations form the foundation of Republican electoral strength. Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, describes the attack on affirmative action as part of a larger conservative extremist agenda aimed at suppressing the progressive, inclusive values of young people and future generations.
While affirmative action has always been an imperfect tool for promoting racial equality, it has played a crucial role in maintaining some semblance of diversity within the most elite educational institutions. However, even with affirmative action in place, the racial makeup of these selective schools has failed to keep pace with the changing demographics of the country. According to Carnevale, there has been no serious effort to achieve diversity that reflects the composition of the high school population. This failure is apparent in the data, as black and Latino students remain significantly underrepresented in the most exclusive institutions.
The increasing diversity of the nation’s youth population is an unstoppable force. Millennials and Generation Z are comprised of approximately 45% kids of color, and this number continues to grow. This transformation is reshaping college campuses, with kids of color accounting for a larger proportion of incoming college students. However, white students still remain overrepresented, especially in the most elite institutions. This disparity is significant because the most prestigious colleges and universities invest significantly more resources per student and yield better outcomes in terms of college completion, graduate school attendance, and lifetime earnings. Contrary to the claim that affirmative action places minority students in environments in which they can’t succeed, research points to the benefits that elite educational institutions provide for low-income students of color.
Beyond the tangible benefits, there are broader implications for the nation’s leadership class if the number of nonwhite students at the top colleges and universities continues to decline. The disproportionate representation of white individuals among the country’s leaders creates a caste system that is incompatible with a functioning democracy. Young people, especially members of Gen Z, are keenly aware of this lack of representation and see the elimination of affirmative action as further proof that the system is broken. This ruling only reinforces their perception that the existing systems are indifferent to inequality and unwilling to address the realities of race.
In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor highlights the dangerous consequences of a leadership class that fails to reflect the diversity of the nation. Today’s decision exacerbates segregation, diminishes inclusivity, and promotes indifference to inequality. The experiences of states that have already banned affirmative action in education serve as a warning of the negative outcomes that may arise from this ruling.
In conclusion, the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action has far-reaching implications for both higher education and society as a whole. It perpetuates a system that favors older white Americans while neglecting the increasing diversity of the younger generations. The ruling further widens the gap between minority students and their white counterparts in elite institutions, limiting opportunities for upward mobility. It also reinforces the lack of diversity in the nation’s leadership, ultimately undermining democracy and perpetuating inequality.
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