West OC Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. -On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court released their decision in the consolidated cases of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) v. Harvard and University of North Carolina, striking down the use of Affirmative Action in the admissions of federally funded universities. In response, Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) released the following statement.

“I immigrated to this country from Korea when I was 19-years-old to pursue an education,” said Steel. “I am living my American Dream because, in this country, your actions determine your success- not your race and ethnicity. For 40 years, American colleges and universities have stacked the deck against Asian Americans in the name of diversity. As a nation, we believe, as taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that every human should be judged "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.’  Thanks to the brave young men and women who spoke up about their experiences with racial discrimination, today’s victory marks a new chapter in the fight for equality in education.”

Background

Affirmative action’s discriminatory nature impacts approximately 22 million Asian Americans.

A 2019 survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that 24.6% of schools admitted that race had a "considerable" or "moderate" influence on admissions. The bias is significant enough that the Princeton Review, a company dedicated to college prep and test-taking strategies, advised Asian high schoolers in their book “Cracking College Admissions,” to avoid including a photo of themselves in their application, refrain from answering any questions about their ethnic background, and stay away from writing their admissions essays about their cultures.

Rep. Steel has worked for decades to ensure that students of all races and backgrounds are judged solely on their merits. In 1996, she campaigned for California’s Proposition 209, which banned racial preferences in public hiring, education, and contracting. After Proposition 209 passed, graduation rates drastically improved for all minorities.

Rep. Steel also led an amicus brief with 81 of her colleagues in Congress to support the plaintiffs of SFFA v. Harvard and U.N.C

Education

Original source can be found here.