On June 29, the Supreme Court effectively ended affirmative action in a 6-3 decision that drastically limits public and private universities from using race-conscious admissions policies. The case’s plaintiff, a group called the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), argued that such provisions discriminate against Asian American students.
Effectively, SFFA suggested, the institutions targeted in these suits — Harvard and the University of North Carolina — used race-conscious policies that hurt Asian Americans’ chances of being accepted, while unfairly boosting opportunities for Black and Latino students. The Court seemed swayed by this notion, finding that affirmative action leads to discrimination.
SFFA’s lawsuit advanced the claim that Asian Americans should be against affirmative action and suggested that the group broadly is. But that’s not the case. According to a 2020 Asian American voter survey, 70 percent of Asian Americans support affirmative action, and in a 2023 Pew survey, 53 percent of Asian Americans who had heard of affirmative action said they believe it’s a good thing. Notably, as these polls indicate, there is a segment of Asian Americans who oppose affirmative action and many who are wary of the consideration of race and ethnicity in college admissions, but such stances don’t capture the full position of members of the community.
SFFA’s lawsuit papered over the complexities of Asian American views on affirmative action to advance the group’s argument. It’s also the latest attempt by conservatives to exploit concerns expressed by Asian Americans in a bid to undo policies that help minorities overall.
A majority of Asian Americans hold a nuanced view of racism and discrimination
“I would make a point of saying that most Asian Americans understand that … there is racism aimed particularly at communities of color and Black communities,” said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Advancing Justice – Asian Law…
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