Despite the headlines about the terrible increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic, one system that systemically discriminates against Asian Americans remains and must be abolished: affirmative action.
Proponents of affirmative action say that the system allows for fair representations of minorities in higher education and other institutions. However, selecting or disqualifying people based on their race, ethnicity, sexuality, or similar factors is the exact definition of discrimination. Just as being racist won’t end racism, discriminating against some groups in favor of others, which is what affirmative action does, won’t end discrimination.
No statistic or rationale can justify discrimination.
There is a case against Harvard University’s affirmative action program that has made its way through the courts and may soon be heard before the Supreme Court. In November, the Boston-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit ruled that the Ivy League school didn’t discriminate against Asian Americans via its program. Hopefully, the nation’s highest court will, once and for all, put an end to this discrimination.
Educational institutions that receive federal assistance are, in accordance with Article VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin. The hate crimes we’ve seen against Asian Americans are abhorrent and, as with any form of bigotry, must be called out and combated. But those who decry “systemic racism” should also focus their energy on affirmative action, which negatively targets minorities. To ignore and perpetuate this form of racism is hypocritical and outrageous.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C.
