INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court on Thursday outlawed race as a factor in college admissions, saying such a policy violates the American
The ruling came to the relief and delight of many students of Indian/Asian origin, who, although a minority in the US, have argued that such
a policy discriminates against them (and white students) by giving preference to Black, Hispanic and Native American ones.The apex court
ruling split along ideological grounds, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the six conservative members, and the three liberals
Many universities have for too long done just the opposite
lessons learned but the color of their skin
The ruling overturns several previous decisions by the nine-judge Supreme Court -- when its composition was more liberal -- upholding
race-based admissions to promote diversity
But Asian and Indian-American students have long sought to overturn the policy, arguing that affirmative action impacted them negatively
because it constituted a hurdle to merit-based admissions that gave them a fair shot
Asian/Indian students have long been the elites in the US education system stemming mainly from what is believed to be disciplined
upbringing and academic nous
Data from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows that in 2021, 60 percent of Asians between the ages of 18 and 24 were
enrolled in college, compared to 38 percent of White youth in the same age cohort, 37 percent for Black youths, 33 percent for Hispanics and
28 percent for Native Americans students
Many Asian and Indian students backed the lawsuit before the Supreme Court under the aegis of the petitioner, Students for Fair Admissions
(SFFA).Among those supporting the lawsuit is Vijay Jojo Chokalingam, brother of actor-entertainer Mindy Kaling, who caused a stir in 2015 by
claiming he pretended to be Black 20 years ago to gain entrance into St
Louis School of Medicine -- despite holding a lower GPA than the average incoming student -- to demonstrate the "pernicious" effect of
I am living proof of the racism and hypocrisy of schools such as Harvard and UNC that discriminate against Asian Americans and White
But it allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged
the former president said in a statement that provided links to various organizations focused on equality in education.""So often, we just
accept that money, power, and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected
to compete when the ground is anything but level," Michelle Obama said, adding,"So today, my heart breaks for any young person out there
things had gotten so out of whack that a black student in the 40th percentile of their academic index was more likely to get into Harvard
than an Asian student in the 100th percentile.The ruling came with a strong dissenting notes from Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor,
black and latina liberals on the bench
Although formal race-linked legal barriers are gone, race still matters to the lived experiences of all Americans in innumerable ways, and
life."Verdict also splits Indian-American political leadersThe US Supreme Court verdict also split Indian-American political leaders along
party lines, with Democrat lawmakers assailing the ruling and Republicans, including two who are running for the White House, welcoming
it.Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said: "This is a terrible ruling
Ensuring that people from all corners of this country are represented at colleges and universities is part of what makes America so unique,
and this decision will hurt communities of colour and result in a loss in diversity of thought in education."Congressman Ro Khanna said:
"What isn't being talked about enough is the harm this is going to do for students, not just Black and Latino, but White and Asian-American
Consider students going to Harvard who want to become the future political leaders in this country, the future president, senators,
congresspeople, do you think they're gonna have a better chance of doing that and doing that successfully if they're in classes that don't
have adequate representation from African-Americans and Latinos? You're doing a terrible disservice to the future leaders of this country in
a multiracial, multi-ethnic democracy.Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said: "The world admires America because we value freedom
SCOTUS re-affirmed those values today
Picking winners and losers based on race is fundamentally wrong
presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy said: "Affirmative action is the single greatest form of institutional racism in America today
The Supreme Court just struck it down in college admissions
As President, I will end it in every sphere of American life
Meritocracy and equity are fundamentally incompatible
Mark my words: 'elite' universities will now start to play complex games to achieve the same results using shadow tactics like
deprioritising test scores
Top companies now regularly disfavour qualified applicants who happen to be white or Asian, which spawns resentment and condescension toward
Everyone loses in the end
Time to restore colour-blind meritocracy once and for all."
