Asian American Advocacy Fund Denounces Supreme Court Affirmative Action Strike Down
Statement for Immediate Release
June 29, 2023
Contact:
Chany Chea, Asian American Advocacy Fund, chany@asianamericanadvocacyfund.org
Asian American Advocacy Fund Denounces Supreme Court Affirmative Action Strike Down
Norcross, GA — The Asian American Advocacy Fund (AAAF) is deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to side with the Students for Fair Administration (SFFA) in their efforts to end race-conscious admissions policies in the SFFA v. University of North Carolina and SFFA v. Harvard College cases. Affirmative action plays a vital role in breaking down barriers that prevent many qualified and talented Black, Indigenous, and POC students, including those in AAPI communities, from accessing educational opportunities. This decision is an undoing of over 40 years of precedent. We reaffirm the validity and importance of affirmative action in higher education. This decision is unrepresentative of what the majority of Americans support, and serves to increase inequities in the college admissions process. Despite attempts by those seeking to divide us to maintain white supremacy and existing power structures, communities of color are stronger than ever. Together, we will continue our work to advance racial justice for all of our communities.
Affirmative action policies consider race as one factor in a holistic admissions process and are critical in promoting student diversity and closing educational gaps. Many aspects of the college admissions process put marginalized communities at a disadvantage. For example, SAT test scores are artificially depressed for Black students by 200-300 points because the SAT rewards familiarity with white colloquialisms. The necessity of affirmative action policies that help bridge this gap are realized and supported by the majority of Americans, with two recent polls showing that 62% of all Americans and 69% of Asian American registered voters support affirmative action (Sources: Gallup Poll & Asian American Voter Survey). We know that when colleges and universities reflect the diversity of America, our communities are strengthened.
These Supreme Court cases are motivated by a decades-long campaign seeking to strip away educational opportunities and voting rights from marginalized communities. The white supremacist agendas behind these lawsuits use the small number of Asian Americans against affirmative action as pawns in their efforts—weaponizing the model minority myth to divide our communities. Affirmative action policies have played an important role in securing Asian American access to higher education. Moreover, we continue to see systemic racism block many Southeast Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students from accessing quality educational resources. As Asian Americans, we will not allow our communities to be used as a prop by the conservative movement to advance a white supremacist agenda that is unpopular and harmful.
Efforts to dismantle affirmative action are not done in isolation. Edward Blume–the anti-civil rights activist behind the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) group that is responsible for these lawsuits–was a strategist for the court case that gutted the Voting Rights Act: Shelby County v. Holder. Those who are working to reduce equitable access to educational opportunities are in the same camp as those working to create barriers to voting for marginalized communities. These attacks on our communities did not start, and will not end, with attacking affirmative action.
The decision to strike down the ability to consider students’ full backgrounds in admissions is an undoing of generations of hard-fought progress towards quality education for all students. These cases only look at the admissions processes at two universities, and we will work to ensure that colleges and universities can continue to promote or embrace diversity, such as affinity groups, outreach to communities of color, expanding financial assistance, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Civil rights organizations, colleges, and universities across the country are committed to expanding racial equity and opportunity. AAAF will never stop working to advance racial equity and justice in education as well as progress for our communities.
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The Asian American Advocacy Fund (“AAAF”) is a grassroots 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to building a politically-conscious, engaged, and progressive Asian American base in Georgia. The Advocacy Fund’s mission is to advocate for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians in Georgia. To learn more about AAAF, visit https://www.asianamericanadvocacyfund.org