By Roslyn Story, KERA 90.1 commentator
Dallas, TX – When I first heard the decision my response was one of relief, then skepticism. That yet another 5-4 split in the court had decided such an important issue, made me realize that race-based affirmative action is still on shaky ground.
Since the early 1990's, it seems the Court has been bent on discarding every remnant of this controversial policy. And were it not for the deciding vote of Justice O'Connor, headlines surely would be reporting the death of affirmative action as we know it.
Affirmative action is about awarding privilege, something deeply ingrained in American culture. As a child residing in the inner city, I was privileged to study the violin through a government program, and while many conservatives consider such programs wasteful and ineffective, it contributed to my ability to choose a career as a profession classical musician.
But not all affirmative action is about race and indigence. Large corporations win huge tax breaks. Savvy businessmen negotiate sweetheart deals. The children of college alumni are given legacy status that entitles them to admission into their parents' universities. Aren't these examples of affirmative action? In fact, examples of affirmative action for Black Americans with no money seem well matched by privileges for non-Black Americans with lots of money.
Justice Clarence Thomas was admitted to Yale through affirmative action. George W. Bush's 'legacy-based' admission to the same school helped lay the blueprint for his future. Where would they have been without affirmative action?
In years past, race-based entitlements served as reparation - repairing the damage of slavery and the inequities brought on by racial discrimination. But at American universities today, support for affirmative action to eliminate racism has given way to policies to advance diversity. It's based on the belief that when ethnic, social and racial cultures coalesce the result is a richer fabric of life experience, a tapestry of interwoven cultures that benefits and enriches the whole.
So who really benefits from affirmative action? Only those to whom the edge is given?
There are those who would dismiss diversity as a cause that serves minorities only, and that promotes racial separation rather than unity. But wasn't it our lack of knowledge and understanding of the rich and complex culture of the Muslim world that left us so unprepared for the level of anti-American sentiment rising around the globe? What if, before Sept 11, 2001, our halls of higher learning had vibrated with spirited dialogue, debate and efforts toward understanding Eastern cultures? Americans who know nothing of cultures other than their own are all the poorer for it, and as history has proven, are less prepared for life in these changing times.
As Justice Harry Blackmun wrote in his opinion on the last major affirmative action case in 1978, "in order to get beyond racism we must take account of race." Only the victims of racism can decide whether or not we are beyond it. But where affirmative action is concerned, when we create an environment that pools together disparate creeds and cultures, we are elevated as humans, and we become enriched by knowledge and understanding of lives other than our own.
Roslyn Story is a writer and musician from Dallas.