Affirmative action has helped ensure access to higher education for students and faculty who might not have had that chance otherwise. Now that affirmative action programs are battling for their very existence, the editors and writers of Black Issues In Higher Education present the following pointers and reminders that have been gleaned from interviews, research and discussions in preparation for this special report.
#1 Ensure Black College Prosperity
God bless the child that's got its own.
What African Americans have had for more than 100 years are the historically Black colleges and universities.
Established to educate Black students when white colleges would not, historically Black colleges and universities continue to be a critical avenue of education for Blacks and, to some extent, others as well. And despite the progress made by Blacks on readitionally white campuses, the core of Black educational progress still lies on the Black college campus.
Unfortunately, too many graduates and supporters of these colleges have given little more than lip service to support them. This lack of strong, concerted political support has permitted state politicians, lawmakers, and even well-meaning civil rights groups to take swipes at predominantly Black schools without fear of retribution. Just recently a New York congressman questioned the need for the University of the District of Columbia to exist. Even a cursory glance at the rankings in this edition attests to the significance of these institutions.
#2 Go Back to the Drawing Board
Bad cases make bad law.
Those in a position to draft affirmative action guidelines should carefully craft them so that they will not be vulnerable to legal challenge.
The University of Texas Law School's affirmative action program, challenged in Hopwood vs. the State of Texas, was flawed from the beginning. The school literally created separate admissions programs -- one for Hispanic and Black students and one for whites, That approach was changed by the law school later, but Hopwood, which has sent affirmative action into a tailspin, turned on the earlier approach.
