The Supreme Court has recently released a 6-3 opinion that effectively ends Affirmative Action, a decision that is predicted to negatively impact the admissions of BIPOC students to universities across the nation, particularly elite institutions. Despite this setback, some hope lies in Congress’s potential willingness to ban legacy admissions policies, which have long been dubbed ‘affirmative action for privileged white kids’. Representative Jamal Bowman and Senator Jeff Merkley have introduced a bill aiming to eliminate this practice. This bill has a chance of being supported by Congressional Republicans.
According to a research study from three professors of economics, ending legacy admissions will have a tangible, positive impact on the admission rates of BIPOC students:
“If [Harvard] stopped giving preferential treatment to [legacy] students in the admissions process, they also found, the share of white students admitted to Harvard would drop significantly, while the admissions rates of all other groups would either go up or remain unchanged.”
Ending legacy admissions won’t undo the damage that the Supreme Court caused last week, but it is still a positive step forward that we can and should take.
Today’s action: Contact your Members of Congress
Contact both Senators:
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Maria Cantwell: 202-224-3441 or http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email/form
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Patty Murray: 202-224-2621 or http://www.murray.senate.gov/write-to-patty/
Contact your Representative:
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Pramila Jayapal: 202-225-3106 or http://jayapal.house.gov/contact
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Adam Smith: 202-225-8901 or http://adamsmith.house.gov/contact
Sample script
I am deeply concerned by the recent Supreme Court decision to end Affirmative Action, which puts the educational futures of many BIPOC students at risk. However, I believe that there is a real opportunity here for Congress to take proactive action to bring about greater equality in university admissions. I ask you to back the bill introduced by Representative Jamal Bowman and Senator Jeff Merkley aimed to ban legacy admissions, which perpetuates systemic privilege. I urge you to put pressure on your colleagues in Congress, regardless of party, to support this crucial piece of legislation.
Background
“Democrats Have a Plan to Tackle Affirmative Action for Privileged White Kids” – https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/supreme-court-affirmative-action-jamaal-bowman-democrats-1234781081/
