Time for affirmative action

The next U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action might repeal the destructive Proposition 209, which has reduced access to college for minority students. At least that is the hope.

Today the high court is hearing arguments on Michigan’s Proposal 2, which just like 209, is a ban on considering race in college admissions. The author of both measures is Ward Connerly.

In addition to having the same author, these measures had a similar strongly negative impact, decreasing the number of African American and Latino students in state colleges and universities. The difference is that a federal appeals court kept the California initiative in place, while a similar court overturned Michigan’s measure; therefore, the case ended up at the Supreme Court.

The justices should overturn these types of measures, taking into account their detrimental impact on minority students in the short and long term. Educational institutions like those in the University of California system have tried various options to reduce that effect, without much success. A decision against Proposal 2 would be the best news in a long time.

Affirmative action programs have been criticized because they are mistakenly considered to be “reverse discrimination.” In reality, well applied, they take into account circumstances and provide opportunities to students who, because of the nature of our society and history, must not be disregarded. Many students of color face a lot of disadvantages when it’s time to get into college.

A diverse nation like ours is enriched when all its residents, regardless of race or color, have options to get ahead thanks to a college education.