“The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this morning to strike down affirmative action in Harvard and University of North Carolina admissions is an alarming indication of a rolling back of decades of progress toward inclusion and equality for Americans of color. For centuries – people of color have been denied access to institutions of higher learning because of racism and systemic bias. Affirmative action programs have provided many economically disadvantaged youth with pathways to the advanced degrees they require to achieve personal success and independence.
“Moreover, this decision will lay the groundwork for this court to eliminate affirmative action in corporate hiring processes, further hindering social justice and our trajectory toward realizing American ideals. Instead of moving backwards, the nation should be moving forward, as we are in Newark, where we care for and support diversity. I call upon our federal legislators to enshrine affirmative action as law to counteract this decision.”