Shavar Jeffries on the Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin

June 23, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement: DFER’s Shavar Jeffries on the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin

Washington, D.C. – Today, following the Supreme Court’s a 4-3 vote to uphold the University of Texas’ use of affirmative action in higher education admissions, DFER President Shavar Jeffries released the following statement:

“The United States Supreme Court’s decision to reject a challenge to the University of Texas’s use of race in admissions is a major victory for affirmative action. This is an essential way to help further the goal of diversifying the student body at universities across the United States and helps level the playing for the millions of minority students across the country looking to pursue higher education.

“Last year, DFER and Education Reform Now (ERN), our partner – a nonprofit think tank, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court arguing for “intraracial diversity” when it comes to college admissions. We called for universities to pay explicit attention to the benefits stemming from having a student body representing a rich diversity of backgrounds and experiences.

“America is a multifaceted and inclusive nation, and every student deserves a high quality education, no matter their background. But true inclusivity only occurs when our universities reflect this diversity and allow students to have enriching and realistic experiences that expose them to peers of different cultures and backgrounds from their own. As Justice Kennedy wrote in the Court’s majority opinion, “A university is in large part defined by those intangible qualities which are incapable of objective measurement but which make for greatness.” We are proud that the Supreme Court, in this ruling, recognized that our students and our universities have a compelling interest in promoting a diverse student body.”

You can find DFER and ERN’s amicus brief, here: https://edreformnow.org/our-fisher-vs-ut-affirmative-action-argument/

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Contact: press@dfer.org