Living in a Post-Affirmative Action World
Ruling against Michigan could boost minority achievement, says one scholar. But others are not so optimistic.
By Ronald Roach

Even though the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to rule on the constitutionality of the University of Michigan's undergraduate and law school admissions plans, Americans already are living in a post-affirmative action world, opines futurist and academic administrator Nat Irvin II.

With increasing racial diversity on the rise in American society, the goal of having a diverse work force has represented a high priority for many corporate, education and political leaders, says Irvin, an assistant dean for MBA student development at Wake Forest University's Babcock School of Management. People have to come to grips with the notion that race-conscious affirmative action, an important mechanism by which underrepresented minorities have attained meaningful representation at elite college campuses, isn't going to last forever.

"I'm optimistic. I think a decision against the University of Michigan will have a positive impact in the long run," he says.

Irvin says his optimism stems from the belief that a ruling against Michigan will spur Black and Latino families to become more competitive in the way they will seek out and use educational opportunities for their children. A boost in academic competitiveness among Black and Latino students can only enhance their life chances, particularly given that changes in the global economy are demanding a highly educated work force in the United States, Irvin says.

Others are not so optimistic.

"Ending affirmative action will only add to increased racial struggle and tension," says Dr. Robert G. Newby, a sociologist at Central Michigan University.

"What they're doing is re-legitimizing all-White institutions of higher education," he says of the efforts by affirmative action opponents.

In Newby's perspective, African Americans already are widely committed to the goal of academic achievement. And while some families may interpret a ruling against the University of Michigan as a message to beef up their focus on academics, such a decision will do more to fuel greater divisions between Blacks and Whites than to promote mutual respect and understanding.