U.S. Supreme Court Rulings Deal Blow to Racial Equity

NEW YORK—The U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings today striking down race-based admissions in higher education place new barriers in the path of students of color already contending with systemic racial discrimination in our schools and reverse a half-century of progress on racial equity in education. 

Affirmative action has opened the doors to opportunity and socioeconomic mobility for communities that have historically been shut out of higher education because of their race, ethnicity, income, or identity. Race-conscious remedies for discrimination are grounded in the Constitution and nearly 50 years of Supreme Court precedent. 

The rulings in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina represent a radical assault on these traditions by a far-right majority on the Court. 

Despite this setback, we will continue to work together with our grantees, partners, and allies to ensure that all students have access to quality education, with the knowledge that when everyone has access—whatever their color or heritage—we all benefit. 

“These decisions deny students of color a fair shot, and deny this country the benefits of the immense, diverse talents of the full American community,” said Laleh Ispahani, executive director of Open Society-U.S. “In light of today's rulings, the Open Society Foundations remain firmly committed to advancing a multiracial, multiethnic democracy with human dignity, in every sector of American life, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or country of origin.”