Race Matters: Responding to the Ruling on Affirmative Action

Today, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action, declaring it unconstitutional to consider race in university admissions. The court’s decision shows us the power of narrative and cultural mindsets in shaping policy decisions.?

This ruling is not an isolated event, but rather a product of an extended contest over how we think and talk about race and racism in the United States. The long-dominant narrative of “racial progress” obscures the pervasive nature of white supremacy, telling us that the movement for liberation and civil rights ended in victory. Reasoning from this narrative, people think that while race-conscious practices (like affirmative action) may have been helpful at some point, times have changed and we can now move on from considering race as a factor in our living and learning environments. This is the narrative that makes it possible for many conservative politicians and commentators to defend the decision as a way of “ending discrimination” rather than further entrenching it.

Advocates, activists, and scholars have been persistently and persuasively challenging this harmful narrative for decades. Today’s decision shows us just how important this narrative work is.

This setback will undoubtedly cause harm, and there is urgent work to be done to mitigate its effect on educational access and justice. To fuel the work ahead, we draw hope from the recognition that our culture is changing. Research from the Culture Change Project has found that, on the whole, Americans are thinking about racism at a more systemic level than they were pre-2020. Which is to say—this is a moment in which our ideas of what racism looks like are in flux, and as such, the way in which we frame conversations is particularly crucial.

Moments like these call us to reflect on the framing strategies that have advanced justice and created the conditions for meaningful policy change. As we consider the implications of today’s ruling, we offer three ideas to guide our ongoing communications:

1. Expand people’s mental models of racism. It’s vital that we accelerate the cultural shift toward more systemic views of racism. Now is a moment to turn up the volume and hit repeat on systems-level stories and messaging. We can do this by consistently talking about the different ways racism shows up in the structures of society and how this limits the educational paths available to some students based on race. We can explain how systemic racism in the education system (and beyond) affects families and communities of color by creating adversity and limiting opportunities.??
2. Deactivate zero-sum thinking. The case before the court arose from a competitive context, in which admission to elite institutions is framed as a scarce, valuable commodity. In this scenario, zero-sum thinking—the assumption that the only way someone can get more or “win” is by someone else getting less or “losing”—is front and center in how people see the issue. As we press for educational justice, it’s important that we frame the conversation in ways that don’t feed into efforts to pit racial and ethnic groups against each other in a fight for limited resources. We can use our communications to paint a picture of the well-documented benefits we all experience when we learn in equitable, diverse environments.?
3. Focus on solutions: make the case for a racially just education system. When discussing this decision, offer people ways to imagine what we can do to create greater access and inclusion in the wake of this ruling. Consider zooming out from race-conscious admissions systems to the broader issue of a racially just education system. Be concrete about what such a system looks like and get specific about the benefits that it creates and ways that it allows us to realize aspirations like activating human potential, fostering well being and joy, and preparing us all for the future.?

Expanding people’s mindsets about racism; redefining the problem from “who gets what” to “what we all need;” and explaining how racially just solutions get us there are each components of a larger strategy. If we want to shift the narrative, we have to do all of these.?

Because this issue has been deliberately politicized and looped into a broader discourse about “wokeness,” having an intentional, productive conversation about race-conscious practices can be difficult. But reframing is a powerful step in addressing systemic problems—and right now, it’s one of the most powerful tools we have.