Mayor Sylvester Turner's Statement on Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Ruling
Style Magazine Newswire | 6/30/2023, 11:37 a.m.
Mayor Sylvester Turner
Please attribute the following statement to Mayor Sylvester Turner.
"The historical context surrounding the 14th Amendment – adopted as the nation outlawed race-based slavery – is clear in its intention to address racial discrimination. Earlier this week, this same Court found racial bias in ordering new maps for Alabama's Congressional Districts. Yet, today's decisions would have us believe we have solved racial inequality in higher education.
"Today's decision is even more concerning given the recent actions in Texas to outlaw Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at public universities under Senate Bill 17. Even with these needed DEI initiatives, the racial gap in higher education, as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said in her dissent, is "indisputable."
"The Biden Administration should use any, and all means to help level the playing field so that racial minorities have an opportunity in higher education – just like I did in attending Harvard. We cannot afford to ignore or outlaw our history. Higher education must strive to be inclusive – not just diverse. Today's decision sets our country back in moving toward that more perfect union."
