Mayes: Recent SCOTUS ruling ‘reverses decades of progress’ for students of color
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled against affirmative action programs as part of Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College.
Rep. La'Tasha D. Mayes June 29, 2023 | 5:35 PM
HARRISBURG, June 29 – State Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, D-Allegheny, responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent rulings to overturn affirmative action in college admissions, describing the rulings as “reversing decades of progress by allowing racial inequity to exist in higher education.”
“The Supreme Court’s ruling closes a window of opportunity for students of color systemically excluded from higher education, thereby reversing decades of progress by allowing racial inequity in higher education,” Mayes said. “This decision is a significant setback for Black and Brown students, but also civil rights in the U.S. We must continue to enhance our investments in K-12 education to support students of color so that we can remove barriers to higher education.”
As a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, Mayes said she recognizes the role that affirmative action played in her own life and in the lives of so many other students of color seeking higher education.
“I am aggrieved by the recent trend of the U.S. Supreme Court issuing decisions that reverse the progress of the Civil Rights movement, thereby returning the U.S. to an era of exclusion,” she said. “It is my hope that higher education institutions in Pennsylvania and the U.S. will continue to enhance their commitment to equity on their campuses as all students and higher education professionals can benefit from the learning opportunities available when there is a diverse and representative student body.”
In Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action programs are unconstitutional, thereby overturning Grutter v. Bollinger and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, previous rulings that affirmed the constitutionality of affirmative action programs. Higher education institutions can no longer consider race in admissions per today’s ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision by a vote of 6-2 in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College and a vote of 6-3 in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.