Affirmative action was always intended as a means for historically disadvantaged persons to catch up. No one expected it would last forever.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court, now driven by extreme and impractical ideology, has decided that affirmative action regarding race in colleges as one of a variety of factors is not legal.
The plain fact is that African Americans, according to the 2021 U.S. census, make an average of $48,928 per year compared to $74,262 for whites. Not yet equal financial footing.
While I have seen both left and right extremes in our country look through ideological lenses to decide what the best course of action is on numerous issues, I believe most Americans are practical problem solvers and not ideologues.
Unfortunately our current Supreme Court has a majority of right-wing ideologues and similar folks can be found at various levels of government in Utah and around the country.
What is their solution to the plain fact of Blacks having not yet caught up? They don’t have one, and, worse, they don’t appear to care.
This country cannot compete in the world of the future without most everyone operating at their full potential.
One option to replace race as a factor in admissions to education is to offer similar benefits to all races who come from low-income backgrounds. Since racial minorities and women disproportionately have lower incomes, that could help make up some of the loss of race as a factor admissions.
Stephen Holbrook, Salt Lake City
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