CDI responds to Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action programs in college admissions

In its decision to ban the consideration of race in college admissions, the Supreme Court initiated a fundamental shift in a process that has long been criticized as opaque, exclusionary, and discriminatory at its worst.

As universities and admissions offices now wrestle with the challenge of achieving diversity goals after being stripped of the primary mechanism to do so, a larger question looms — what happens to aspiring college students of color?

What becomes of the college hopes of the students unable to attend schools in a resource-rich district replete with small class sizes, enrichment programs, STEM labs, college counselors, and more?

What becomes of the college dreams of the students who do not have the wealth or legacy to open doors to admission?

What becomes of the career aspirations of the students with no access to professional networks, no access to capital, and no mentor to help develop a successful career path?

We live in a society with a long history of pervasive and systemic racism that creates structural barriers in all aspects of life, including disparities in housing outcomes, life expectancy, career earnings, and educational achievement rendering arguments championing a meritocracy moot. Race looms large over the lives of the very students who are repeatedly asked to demonstrate their merit.

Ignoring the real obstacles overcome and the barriers surmounted by our Scholars in search of a theoretical race neutral world isn’t a prescription for success; it is a recipe for disaster.

At CDI, we continue to recognize the value of a college education as the most direct means to change the  trajectory of one’s life from tragedy to triumph. For CDI Scholars, the path to a college degree has always been lined with obstacles and filled with potholes, but we know how hard these students have worked, how hard they have studied, how big their dreams are, and how limitless their potential is.

Our Scholars have persevered, their families have persevered, and the staff at CDI will persevere, remaining true to our goal to close the education, achievement, and opportunity gap for primarily first-generation-to-college students from low-income households, despite any and all new challenges.