The End of Affirmative Action & The Attempt to Erase Race

Photo: Joseph Prezioso / AFP
Baratunde Thurston
July 9, 2023

In a landmark decision on June 29, the Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote, effectively abolished affirmative action as we know it. The lawsuit was initiated by a group called Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), which argued that these policies unfairly discriminated against Asian American applicants to Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, where race-conscious guidelines allegedly undermined their likelihood of acceptance while boosting opportunities for Black and Latino students. This nation’s highest court agreed.