The Asian American Coalition for Education called the ruling Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court, which knocked out the use of race as a characteristic for college admission, a “historic victory” for Asians and all Americans.
The AACE, which has a post office box in Livingston but appears to be based in New York City, said it represents 360 Asian American organizations and has supported the legal challenge by Students for Fair Admissions (known as SFFA) against what they perceive to be anti-Asian discrimination in college admissions.
In a statement, AACE recounted 35 years of Asian American struggle against the unfair treatment of Asian American students by selective colleges, SFFA’s decisive lawsuits against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, and Asian American communities’ unwavering support for SFFA in the last nine years.
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AACE President Yukong Mike Zhao said: “It has been more than 35 years since Asian communities filed the first civil rights complaint against Harvard. Today, we finally see that the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court have provided equal protection of the laws to our communities. This is a historic victory for Asian Americans, because our children will no longer be treated as second-class citizens in college admissions. This is also a historic victory for all Americans, because the ruling will help preserve meritocracy, the bedrock of the American Dream. Moreover, the ruling will abolish the only remaining race-based law, advancing America toward a color-blind society, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed 60 years ago.”
The AACE did not immediately return a call looking for additional comment.
In its release, the AACE said it will monitor the implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling by asking all colleges and the Common App organization to remove race/ethnicity from college application processes.
The AACE also calls upon America’s “ruling class” to take concrete measures to address the root causes of the failing K-12 education in many African American and Hispanic American communities, as it is the only constitutional and effective way to enhance diversity in higher education.
Zhao continued: “Today’s victory is not the end of Asian Americans’ fight for equal rights. We will continue to monitor the implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on college admissions. Although we have won a decisive victory for equal education rights, Asian communities still face many serious challenges that are often ignored by America’s ruling class. These include anti-Asian violence, discrimination in employment and assault on our family values. Our proven community leaders will take them on, just like we did against the discrimination at Harvard and UNC.”
