haldar22_Kent Nishimura Los Angeles Times via Getty Images_affirmativeactionprotest Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The Supreme Court Kicks Away the Ladder

The US Supreme Court's decision to ban affirmative action in university admissions strikes at the heart of the American dream: the promise of substantive equality of opportunity. The “colorblind” law that the majority's decision idealizes can work only in societies with no racial discrimination, not in settings where it is rampant.

CAMBRIDGE – Fifteen years ago, I watched in rapt attention as a resplendent, yet surreal, scene unfolded: the election of the first-ever African-American US president, Barack Obama. In the past week, the Supreme Court, in a landmark 6-3 ruling, struck down what may have been one of the key factors in making that story possible: affirmative action in higher education. 

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