LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Supreme Court’s ruling on Affirmative Action as it pertains to the college admissions process was a sad awakening for Lexington’s President of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
“It’s going to make colleges look a lot more white than they are now,” said Whit Whitaker. “Unfortunately this ruling will allow colleges to not be more considerate about the make-up of their student population,” he continued.
Essentially, colleges and universities can no longer use the race box check mark an applicant would fill out as part of the admissions process. An applicant of color can use his or her essay space to write about challenges they’ve faced as a member of a minority race, but nothing further. Attorney General Daniel Cameron agreed with the court’s ruling.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision reaffirms what the American dream is all about — the promise of freedom and equal treatment for all without regard to race,” he wrote in a statement.
But Whitaker wonders what might’ve been of Mr. Cameron and other people of color if not for affirmative action policies.
“Justice (Clarence) Thomas would not be Justice Thomas without affirmative action,” Whitaker stated of the African-American justice who was one of six to rule in favor of this decision.
Whitaker stressed that affirmative action isn’t about offering preferential treatment to minority race members, it’s simply to help level what’s been a tilted playing field.
“If I’m trying to change a light bulb and you’re tall and I’m short, you giving me a ladder is allowing me to participate on the same field. So it’s not about preferential treatment, it’s about equaling the scales,” he explained.
Mr. Whitaker is concerned that without the implementation of affirmative action policies in the college admissions process going forward, a minority might lose out because of an inherent bias.
“They’ll go by a person’s name, or zip code, so their normal biases will lead them down that path,” he feels. “We are all products of our implicit biases,” he continued.
“They’re basically deconstructing America,” Whitaker added of the court’s ruling.
