By Crystal Bates
President
DFW Metro NAACP
Last week’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to declare affirmative action in education unconstitutional in a 6-3 decision in the University of North Carolina case and a 6-2 decision in the Harvard case left me a bit emotional.
I’m reminded of the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor —
Bare …
For many minorities, this is our story and the reality of the majority of us. We’ve been marginalized and raised in severely underserved communities, but we dream and work hard to overcome the odds, adversities and systemic oppressions that exist. We work 100 times harder than our peers just to try to realize a life of equity and equality on a playing field that’s usually unlevel and oppressive for us. We want to see a brighter future than what our parents and grandparents did. We want to rise beyond generational poverty — we don’t want to be a statistic or prohibited access to being skilled and educated. Many of us want more out of life.
I recall my last semester at the University of Texas in Arlington (UTA) when a group of my white peers asked me, “Crystal, are you the first African American to receive an economics degree from UTA?” They proceeded to explain that over the years I was usually the only African American in their economic classes.
They decided to visit the dean to get the answer. As a result, I was identified and recognized as the 9th African American female to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Texas in Arlington. Please note that this was in 2005. Not to mention, I was also a first-generation college graduate in my family. I don’t know what behind-the-scenes criteria were used for me to be admitted to UTA but this I know: then and now, we are underrepresented across this country in higher education.
In response to the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling in Edgewood ISD v. Kirby, the Robin Hood law was enacted in Texas in 1993. The law recaptured property tax revenue from property-wealthy school districts and distributed it to property-poor districts to equalize the financing of all school districts throughout Texas.
I reference this because even the Texas Supreme Court realized that there were financial resources available to wealthier school districts that weren’t available in property-poor school districts. That is just one example of evidence that disadvantages exist, and we often are not afforded the same resources to be prepared for college as other students may receive. Oftentimes, our parents may not be able to afford tutoring or college prep classes to prepare us to compete for college admission on an equal playing field as nonminority students are. Affirmative action efforts have provided access to minority students that otherwise would have been inaccessible in some cases.
As a result of today’s ruling, many minority students will lose access to opportunities that would have otherwise existed. When we already must work 100 times harder than our peers, the Supreme Court has made the obstacles on that playing field even harder.
I strongly denounce the Supreme Court ruling on collegiate affirmative action. A great deal of statistical data provides evidence that minorities are faced daily with unfairness and inequality in America. Diversity, equity, equality, and inclusion are what truly makes America great!
