‘Educate, Don't Segregate'

April 1st started out as a rainy, dreary day but that didn't dampen the spirits of all of the people — young and old — who descended on the U.S. Supreme Court, carrying signs and banners, in support of affirmative action. Student and alumni associations representing a variety of colleges and universities showed up, as did groups such as the NAACP, the Detroit Teachers Federation, and I can't leave out the
"Angry White Guys for Affirmation Action," as printed on their T-shirts.

When we decided to do an article on student activism, the war with Iraq was just a possibility and the date for oral arguments in the University of Michigan cases had not yet been set. We were prompted to do the article following a conversation with a university administrator who said he wasn't quite sure what Black students' feelings were about various current events. We know Black students are often visible and vocal when a racial incident occurs on campus, but what else do they care about? We at Black Issues have wondered over the past few months whether the Black community was even concerned about this affirmative action case. Do they realize their access to higher education is being threatened? Well, if we had any doubts about their thoughts on affirmative action and their awareness of this case, those were quickly removed as April 1st approached and the community began to mobilize.

We anticipated large crowds outside of the Supreme Court, but the number of students who actually traveled to Washington, D.C., surprised even us, which is why this edition focusing on student activism, though timely, is probably long overdue. Students do care and about a lot more than we give them credit for. As you will read in Kendra Hamilton's article, as well as Ronald Roach's, the student protesters were quite passionate and thoughtful about not only their own access to higher education, but ensuring that same access exists for future generations.