Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Affirmative Action undoes the “effects of racist policies going back centuries” in response to the Supreme Court’s decision that determined racial preferences in college admissions violate the Constitution.
“Regarding the Supreme Court banning affirmative action in higher ed — I know many Americans feel that purely race-based decisions are unfair,” Kennedy tweeted. “However, this feeling misses important context. The effects of racist policies going back centuries are now self-perpetuating.”
“Affirmative action understands this and uses race-based policies to undo the effects of racist policies,” he added.
Kennedy believes “color-blind” admissions favor students who come from affluent households.
“‘Color-blind’ admissions tend to favor those who are already in the circle of privilege. It favors those who grew up in affluent, educated households,” Kennedy added. “Wouldn’t you like to invite in those who have been left out in the cold?”
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that racial preferences in college admissions violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
As Breitbart News reported:
The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment commands that no state shall “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The Supreme Court has always acknowledged that the central promise of the Equal Protection Clause is to forbid laws and public policies that discriminate on the basis of race.
While the Fourteenth Amendment applies only to state governments — which includes state and local public universities — Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also extends racial discrimination to institutions that accept federal tax money, such as in grants and tuition aid. That applies to almost every private university.
Students For Fair Admission filed a number of lawsuits against public and private schools. The Supreme Court eventually took two of them: a challenge to the admissions policy of the University of North Carolina (UNC) under the Fourteenth Amendment and a challenge to Harvard’s policy under Title VI.
Harvard University, one of the schools at the center of the legal challenge to affirmative action, announced they “will comply” with the Court’s decision, but reiterated their commitment to “diversity.”
“The Supreme Court’s decision on college and university admissions will change how we pursue the educational benefits of diversity — but our commitment to that work remains steadfast. It is essential to who we are and the mission we are here to advance,” Harvard University President-elect Claudia Gay said in a video statement.
“For nearly nine years, Harvard vigorously defended our admissions process and our belief that we all benefit from learning, living, and working alongside people of different backgrounds and experiences. We will comply with the Court’s decision; but it does not change our values,” Gay continued.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.