In this episode, Ramona reads Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissenting opinion of the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admission in The Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. vs. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan join in dissenting. Released on June 29th, 2023, the decision is a devastating blow to racial justice in the United States. Judge Brown Jackson makes a prolific argument of why affirmative action is still necessary in higher education. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first African American women and the first former federal public defender to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

Resources:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf

Highlights from the reading:

• History of racism in and its impact on America
• How racial disparities in education, health, wealth and well-being developed in the US
• History of local and federal policies that perpetuated inequality
• Why race is an important factor in the admissions process
• Why diversity is important in higher education