The Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE) issued a statement titled “A Historic Victory for Asian and All Americans,” praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark rulings on the lawsuits filed by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). AACE represents over 360 Asian American organizations that have supported SFFA in its legal challenge against the anti-Asian discrimination in college admissions.
In the statement, AACE recounted 35 years of Asian American struggle against the unfair treatment of Asian American students by selective colleges, SFFA’s decisive lawsuits against Harvard and UNC, and Asian American communities’ unwavering support for SFFA in the last nine years. AACE expressed its heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Edward Blum, SFFA lawyers, courageous students, parents, community leaders and volunteers who joined this fight, as well as other political leaders, civil rights leaders and scholars who have supported our cause in the last three decades. They are true heroes of Asian Americans!
Starting today, AACE will monitor the implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling by asking all colleges and the Common App organization to remove race/ethnicity from college application processes. We will continue our fight to defend American meritocracy.
As America moves toward a color-blind society, AACE calls upon America’s ruling class to take concrete measures to address the root causes of the failing K-12 education in many African American and Hispanic American communities, as it is the only constitutional and effective way to enhance diversity in higher education.
Mr. Yukong Mike Zhao, the president of AACE said: “It has been more than 35 years since Asian communities filed the first civil rights complaint against Harvard. Today we finally see that the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court have provided equal protection of the laws to our communities. This is a historic victory for Asian Americans, because our children will no longer be treated as second-class citizens in college admissions. This is also a historic victory for all Americans, because the ruling will help preserve meritocracy, the bedrock of the American Dream. Moreover, the ruling will abolish the only remaining race-based law, advancing America toward a color-blind society, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed 60 years ago.
Today’s victory is not the end of Asian Americans’ fight for equal rights. We will continue to monitor the implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on college admissions. Although we have won a decisive victory for equal education rights, Asian communities still face many serious challenges that are often ignored by America’s ruling class. These include anti-Asian violence, discrimination in employment and assault on our family values. Our proven community leaders will take them on, just like we did against the discrimination at Harvard and UNC.”
Please click the link to read AACE Statement: A Historic Victory for Asian and All Americans (https://asianamericanforeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/AACE_Statement_On_SCOTUS_Ruling_June_2023.pdf)
Asian American Coalition for Education
www.asianamericanforeducation.org
