CNN "State of the Union" interviews for 2023 races: on Education
Will Hurd:
We've done terribly preparing students of color for college
The reality is, with or without affirmative action, we have done a terrible job of preparing our black and brown kids to be able to go to college. When you look at the number of black and brown kids that are graduating high school, but not going to
college, those numbers are terrible. And so we have been failing them in making sure that they have the skill sets and the tools they need in order to get to college, but also be successful while they're there.
Source: CNN interviews on 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Jul 2, 2023
Clarence Thomas:
Race is not to blame: end college affirmative action
In the Supreme Court's affirmative action decision, Clarence Thomas' opinion said "Individuals are the sum of their unique experiences, challenges and accomplishments. What matters is not the barriers they face, but how they choose to confront them.
And their race is not to blame for everything, good or bad, that happens in their lives." And Ketanji Brown Jackson said: "Deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. Although formal race-linked legal barriers are gone, race still
matters to the lived experiences of all Americans in innumerable ways. And today's ruling makes things worse, not better." [The Supreme Court ruled 6-2-1 in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, with Ketanji Brown Jackson recusing herself, that
Harvard's admissions program violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The same ruling applied to SFFA v. University of North Carolina, hence disallowing affirmative action in both private and public college admissions -- OTI]
Source: CNN SOTU interviews on 2023 Presidential primary hopefuls
Jul 2, 2023
Will Hurd:
Colleges can still consider race without affirmative action
Q: In the Supreme Court's affirmative action decision [SFFA v. Harvard]: Clarence Thomas' opinion said "Individuals are the sum of their unique experiences. And their race is not to blame for everything, good or bad, that happens in their lives."
Ketanji Brown Jackson said: "Deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. Although formal race-linked legal barriers are gone, race still matters to the lived experiences of all Americans in innumerable ways." Who do you agree with?
HURD: Well, race still does matter. And that's why this case allows race still to be used when adjudicating whether or not a student should be able to go to college.
Q: So, you think that colleges should factor race into their admissions?
HURD:
Colleges still can. The court made it very clear they are able to use that, because it has an impact on who they are and on their life experiences and why they have been successful or the issues that they have been able to deal with.
Source: CNN SOTU interviews on 2023 Presidential primary hopefuls
Jul 2, 2023
Page last updated: Sep 17, 2023