After millions of students lost the benefit of Affirmative Action ?Affirmative Action? In the educational field, specialists called to find alternatives that guarantee an equitable and fair education for anyone who wants to study.
The term "Affirmative Action" in the educational field refers to a group of policies applied in educational centers that consider the differences between ethnic groups as the main characteristic for admission tests, application of special programs and when considering their performance of according to the social group to which they belong.
At a press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services, a group of litigants who defended Affirmative Action's policies before the Supreme Court, expressed concern about what students from vulnerable communities are facing and the steps that will need to be taken to continue to defend racial equity and the right to be considered for their unique characteristics.
Judy Chu, representative of the 28th congressional district, explained the measures that are being taken to provide inclusive education.
«President Biden has announced measures for his administration, including the department of justice and education. They will take measures to promote educational opportunities and diversity in higher education, as well as our organizations will persist to secure federal funding, the support of institutions and also organizations. We will push for rigorous oversight of federal agencies that combat discrimination in education, higher education institutions and administrators will be required to take immediate action to support communities of color,” he said.
At the time, Jin Hee Lee, director of Strategic Initiatives of the Legal Defense Fund, commented that the students themselves have become involved in the issue, as they fight for diversity in education. However, he pointed out that the unfortunate decision should not affect the community in other sectors.
“We are so disappointed in this decision, but we have to be careful not to make it too important. These cases are only in Affirmative Action for higher education at Harvard and the University of Northern California, this has nothing to do with programs based on neutrality, nor does it have to do with a kindergarten education space or with diversity programs in jobs, this decision does not impact other areas," he stressed.
For the director of the Racial Justice Strategy of the LatinoJustice organization, Francisca Fajana, the important thing is to have diversity in education, and to realize that the students who are affected by this decision are valuable and that they have a lot to contribute, they are a sector present and visible, such is the case of the Latino student community.
"21 percent of Latinos who are around 25 years old have a college degree, compared to 42 percent of Caucasians, this is more than 20 points of difference, so ignoring the characteristic of their race it will not end that gap, “he stressed.
John C. Yang, president and CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, called for not blaming the Asian American community on this issue and others, because it harms society. He also commented that it is necessary to accept that racism exists in order to combat it.
“We must acknowledge that racism exists and refuse to address it. The other analogy that I find is that many recognize that racism is a disease that is still damaging our community," he said.
In the case of Chavis Jones, associate lawyer of the Educational Opportunities Project of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, the Court's decision is not a limitation, a student can present himself and request that his race be considered in the educational field as long as and when it determines their training or is something essential to consider.
In the same way, he expressed that the students themselves are involved in the issue of the fight for an education with diversity.
For specialists, the court's decision is a hard blow, but in no way is it a limitation to continue looking for measures that guarantee education for anyone, while recalling that this decision should only affect some universities, not all social spheres.
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