Affirmative Action May Be Overturned In Higher Education—Are Workplaces Next?
Photo by Stanley Morales: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-wearing-backpacks-1454360/

Affirmative Action May Be Overturned In Higher Education—Are Workplaces Next?

The U.S. Supreme Court spent close to five hours of?oral argument ?on Monday discussing race-conscious admissions policies in colleges and universities, with a particular focus on Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.

In an ironic and interesting twist of fate, it’s likely that the Supreme Court will?end affirmative action ?in higher education despite its makeup—four women, two African Americans and a Latina–as the most diverse in history. The conservative supermajority within the Supreme Court holds the power to reverse the decades-old precedent, which could?impact ?Black and Hispanic students the most.

However, the overturning of affirmative action could extend beyond education—workplaces may be next. Six out of the nine justices are likely to rule in favor of ending affirmative action programs. If the Supreme Court votes to end race-conscious admissions policies, it will negatively impact racial diversity.

In Monday’s meeting, Justice Clarence Thomas?remarked ?that he doesn’t “have a clue” what diversity means. It’s difficult to work toward a diversity solution when there isn’t uniform agreement regarding what diversity actually is. Diversity has become a?dirty word .

Admittedly, there is better terminology available to describe the specific challenge of recruiting underrepresented talent. Terminology isn’t the only issue. Discouraging workplace policies that take a job candidate’s race and ethnicity into consideration can have deleterious effects on the talent pipeline. Companies already struggle with attracting and recruiting?Black ,?Latine ?and?Indigenous ?talent.?Evidence ?suggests that affirmative action policies do increase the number of women and underrepresented racial groups. Race-neutral policies will create more barriers when it comes to attracting and recruiting underrepresented talent, which is what?happened ?with the University of Michigan and the University of California.

Fifteen years ago, two of the nation’s top universities, the University of Michigan and the University of California, were prohibited from using race-conscious admissions policies. Since then, both university systems have?struggled ?to build a racially diverse student body. Some?critics ?of affirmative action claim it causes reverse discrimination against white people. Within the U.S., division, polarization and pushback against?woke ideology?seems to have grown stronger since the?Trump presidency . Lawmakers in several states have denounced the teaching of?critical race theory ?(although it was?not being taught ?in K-12 schools) and in states like Florida, Governor DeSantis has?condemned ?the teaching of “divisive topics” such as anti-racism, systemic racism, white supremacy.

There is an overwhelming amount of research highlighting the benefits of diversity. Environments that are diverse are more?creative ?and?innovative . From a profitability standpoint, diversity wins. A 2014?McKinsey study ?found that racial/ethnic and gender diversity lead to greater financial returns; these findings were later?replicated ?in 2019. Diverse teams also outperform more homogenous teams,?research ?suggests. Diversity initiatives and race-conscious practices are not without their flaws but they should not be completely discarded. Initiatives that were created to increase diversity should not become a check-the-box activity that organizations and institutions engage in as a form of?performative activism .

As mentioned, affirmative action programs are not always perfect; Wells Fargo conducted?fake job interviews ?in their quest for more diversity and affirmative action policies have?benefited ?white women more than any other group.

Affirmative action was not created for members of historically marginalized groups to receive some sort of unfair advantage. The policy was created to correct the systemic racism that prevented people from oppressed communities from having equal opportunities. The United States is a country that prides itself on being a melting pot where anyone can get their piece of the proverbial pie. Diversity is one of the things that makes America so great and throwing out race-conscious policies and practices will weaken both the education system and the modern workplace.

This article was originally published in Forbes .

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Adam Smith

Owner/Artist at Adam Richard Smith Art Studio

2 年

It is discrimination. Pure and simple. Time to end it, IMO. Choosing someone for med school because of their race or gender, over someone with higher qualifications is ignorant and dangerous.

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Diversity in any enterprise is the single most important aspect for the best outcomes. Nature loves diversity.

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William F Mead

Sing With The Spirit Entertainment (USVA Government Services Representative & NJ Professional Planner Retired)

2 年

Welcome to “MAGA” Republicanism Gaslighting across the spectrum of American governance, the judiciary and education! The Founding Fathers are Fuming in “Heavenly Places”! ??????

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Jim Hale

Retired and Lucid

2 年

100 years ago, true … 50 years ago, less true…. 10 years ago hardly true …. Today, a false premise.

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Jim Hale

Retired and Lucid

2 年

…… And, help Asian Americans most. Merit is the great equalizer! Bias in selection is not equity.

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