Local leaders react to Supreme Court’s overturn of affirmative action

BOSTON — In a landmark decision Thursday, the Supreme found that affirmative action policies at two universities violate the Fourteenth Amendment, prompting the nation’s highest court to restrict the role of race in the college admissions process.

The 6-3 decision ruled against policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina that gave preference to some applicants based on their race.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey denounced the decision but reinforced the state’s commitment to ensuring minority communities find themselves represented on campuses across the Bay State.

“We want to make sure that students of color, LGBTQ+ students, first generation students, and all students historically underrepresented in higher education feel welcomed and valued at our colleges and universities,” said Healey. “Today’s decision, while disappointing, will not change our commitment to these students. We have an imperative to make sure our schools reflect our communities. Our academic competitiveness, the future of our workforce, and our commitment to equity demand we take action.”

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley cited the Supreme Court’s ruling as “the latest in the white supremacist assault on equity in education.”

“For decades, affirmative action has been a critical tool for confronting the legacy of anti-Black racism and discrimination still present in higher education. However, today’s decision by the far-right extreme Supreme Court will only exacerbate the systemic oppression that has barred Black, brown, and other marginalized students from equitable opportunities,” stated Pressley. “With this extremist Supreme Court demonstrating time and again its contempt for our most vulnerable, we must expand the court to build its integrity and bring balance to the bench.”

Attorney General Andrea Campbell said the ruling ignores the “dark and traumatic parts of our history.”

“In the face of these decisions, we will press forward in the fight for equity and inclusion, break down arbitrary and unnecessary barriers to education and keep Massachusetts thriving.”

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey similarly decried the ruling.

Harvard responded to the ruling by reinforcing their commitment to the educational benefits of diversity.

Although the University of Massachusetts was not named in the case, school officials say they are working to understand how the school’s admission process will be affected.

“The University of Massachusetts will continue to follow the law, and will do so while sustaining its deep and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe this is essential to the advancement of academic excellence and critical to the preparation of our students to succeed in a global economy,” the school said in a statement.

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