Joy Reid’s recent comments about her successful acceptance to Harvard University reveal her dependency on race-based affirmative action. In her blog, she admitted that she was only admitted into Harvard because of this practice. Furthermore, she went on to say that Supreme Court justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Clarence Thomas were also accepted because of affirmative action.
Reid laments her experience at Harvard, claiming her presence was questioned by white people the moment she arrived. While she argues that some of her peers were far less smart than her and other black students, she fails to highlight the implications. If grade and academic achievements no longer ensured students’ acceptance into institutions of higher education, a major issue is risen. So long as universities and selective colleges continue to rely on race-based admission programs as means of boosting school diversity, they are sure to accept individuals who are unable to perform academically.
Reid was quick to place blame on the Supreme Court majority, accusing them of being “okay” with affirmative action for white people. It is worth noting that Affirmative Action is actually a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment in the US Constitution, and it has been ruled an unlawful practice. This outdated form of discrimination draws racial lines arbitrarily, rarely considering the individual accomplishments and academic achievements an individual recorded in their high school career.
Although affirmative action, in a non-racial form, appears to be a well-intentioned practice, the ironic truth is that it actually undermines our sense of racial equality by lowering admissions standards for some groups while neglecting and even punishing individuals of other ethnicities. Moreover, it fails to address current issues that students of color struggle with, such as a lack of college advisors in rural and inner urban school districts.
Joy Reid admits she only got into Harvard because of affirmative action, just for anyone who didn’t already know pic.twitter.com/9EzlwJChS7
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 2, 2023
Considering the fact that affirmative action does not yield results, there are better and more effective routes that can be taken in order to ensure the academic success of racially underrepresented students. Universities and selective colleges should focus on providing financial aid to those in need, and setting up outreach programs to support those from diverse backgrounds. This way, universities can actively work to foster an equitable learning environment where students of all backgrounds can thrive.