‘A colorblind world is a white world’
Harvard students lead rally against court’s decision on affirmative action
CAMBRIDGE — Two days after the US Supreme Court ruled race can no longer be considered in college admissions, about 100 people filled Harvard Yard to rally in support of affirmative action.
On Saturday, Harvard University students and alumni, along with community members, gathered around the statue of founder John Harvard before processing through campus, with a stop in front of the science center.
“Affirmative action affirms and sees our story as a framework for passions, ambitions, and achievements,” Michelle JeanLouis, a rising sophomore from New Jersey, said in front of the center.
“The decision might have been made, but the fight for visibility must remain.”
The event, led by the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, was the latest student-led response to the court’s landmark decision in a case that involved Harvard’s and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s use of race in their admission policies.
The court ruled 6-3 that the use of race in admissions is unconstitutional, upending decades of precedent by ending the use of affirmative action in college admissions.
The policy had allowed for special consideration be given to racial minorities and other historically excluded groups.
A conservative group called Students for Fair Admissions led the challenge to the policies, saying they discriminated against white and Asian American students.
Rebecca Zhang, a rising Harvard sopho
‘The erosion of diversity breeds a culture of exclusion and perpetuates inequalities.’
SYDNEY WIREDU, rising sophomore at Harvard
more from Acton and an intern with the coalition, helped to organize the rally.
“At the end of the day, this decision was never really just about getting into Harvard,” she said in a phone interview before the event.
“It’s about building a more equitable and diverse future and that is something that we’re going to keep fighting for.”
Zhang said she stands with affirmative action and does not feel that Harvard is discriminatory in its policies.
“I’m Asian American and I support affirmative action and a more equitable and diverse future,” she said.
In her speech, Jean-Louis criticized the court’s push toward a “colorblind” view of the Constitution.
“A colorblind world is a white world,” she said.
“Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is privilege.”
Sydney Wiredu, also a rising sophomore from New Jersey, also spoke to the crowd and led chanting.
“The erosion of diversity breeds a culture of exclusion and perpetuates inequalities,” he said.
“Affirmative action programs have created a diverse Harvard.”
He also spoke about the existence of other forms of affirmative action, such as legacy admissions, which benefit applicants whose family members attended a college or university.
“Admission preferences for legacy students, donors, employee families, and special recommendations are still allowed and big surprise, most of these students tend to come from white, wealthy American families,” he said.
Alumna Lisa M. Brown agreed that legacy admissions at Harvard should be reexamined.
“I think there’s no ethical basis for legacy admissions given this ruling,” Brown, who graduated in 1988, said.
Brown added that the court’s logic concerned her.
“In a world where, and specifically a country where, it still is clear that race matters in ways that still disadvantage people of color, that the Supreme Court could even entertain the idea that we’re in a colorblind society is troubling,” she said.
“That is the most troubling part of things to me.”
Zoha Ibrahim, a rising sophomore from Louisiana, helped hand out homemade T-shirts and encouraged students and community members to sign a banner in support of affirmative action.
“We’re really just trying to make it clear that Harvard students, Asian students particularly, are supportive of affirmative action and we disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision,” she said before the rally.
Lynn Chang of Newton, a graduate of the class of 1975, attended with his wife, Lisa Wong, who graduated in 1979, and their daughter Jennifer Chang, a 2007 graduate.
“I’m a grandfather,” Lynn Chang, a Newton resident, said.
“It’s actually sobering to think that my granddaughter will have less rights and freedoms than her mother or grandmother.”
His granddaughter, Annalise, was in attendance. The 3year-old carried a pink sign in her stroller, reading “diversity benefits everyone.”
Harvard University president Claudine Gay, whose first day in office coincided with the protest, released a video statement after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday.
“For many, this decision feels deeply personal,” she shared.
“It makes real the possibility that opportunities will be foreclosed—but at Harvard it has also strengthened our resolve to continue opening doors.”
Gay said that Harvard will abide by the court’s decision, but acknowledged the uncertainty of the future college admissions process.
“While we don’t have all the answers about what’s next, we do know that we will move forward together,” she said.