Affirmative Action, Adjourned

I don’t agree with the Obamas on much. Nevertheless, their statements regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning affirmative action made me think.

(For some humorous takes, check out The Onion and The Babylon Bee)

President Obama wrote that “affirmative action was never a complete answer in the drive to a more just society.” He also gave a list of organizations for donations, making his brief comments quite practical. It’s easy to forget that affirmative action was and is an imperfect tool for a very complicated and messy problem amidst the storms of controversy surrounding it.

The First Lady was more reflective. Her comments moved me the most, particularly this section:

“Of course, students on my campus and countless others across the country were — and continue to be — granted special consideration for admissions. Some have parents who graduated from the same school. Others have families who can afford coaches to help them run faster or hit a ball harder. Others go to high schools with lavish resources for tutors and extensive standardized test prep that help them score higher on college entrance exams. We don’t usually question if those students belong.

So often, we just accept that money, power and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level.”

In a paragraph, Mrs. Obama succinctly summarizes the main sources of privilege with respect to higher education. She did go to Harvard, so some of her points such as legacy admissions might be inapplicable to those in the middle class, including myself.

Nevertheless, you could argue that I have benefitted from a different kind of affirmative action. In the 1940s, both of my maternal grandparents went to college: my grandfather, thanks to the G.I. Bill and my grandma, thanks to her educated family.

Statista has an excellent graph from which I will pull some figures. In 1960, 7.7% of Americans achieved a college degree or higher. I could not find data for earlier years. Therefore, my grandparents were highly atypical. For one to be well-educated in that era would be impressive. For both to be is quite remarkable.

My parents went to college in the 1980s. In 1985, around when they graduated, 19.4% of Americans achieved college degrees or higher. In other words, 1 out of 5. The fact that both my parents did so deepens my family’s educational tradition.

I graduated in 2015. Then, 32% of Americans did so, or 1 out of 3. According to the Center For First-Generation Student Success, 56% of these graduates were first-generation, meaning that neither parent had a college degree. I however, was third-generation.

These data points put my educational legacy in sharp focus. I am even more grateful for the opportunities that I had. During my childhood, my whole family assumed that I would go to college. The only questions were “Where? What will you study?”

I took college entrance exams in middle and high school. I went to a private K-12 school that gave more resources per individual. By the time I entered college, I already had a couple semesters worth of credits.

Kudos to my parents and grandparents for saving up money and encouraging my learning. I have no desire to criticize them or feel guilty myself, per se. Rather, I wish to be aware and mindful of my incredible gifts. Since my family has largely gone to state schools, we are not among the most privileged. Instead, we are a middle class family that has and will prioritize our education.

I do my best to utilize my education in an constructive way and hope to pay it forward when I am more successful. If anything, my background has instilled a small sense of duty to help others enjoy the same opportunities I did.

I don’t believe that Mrs. Obama’s comments were aimed at us at much as the so-called ‘elites’ with obscene money, power and privilege. For some reason, these resources are far more acceptable than affirmative action. Many who talk about “a level playing field” have advantages beyond the wildest dreams of many.

All I ask you, dear reader, is to think about what affirmative action entails. Do money, power and privilege count as much as governmental programs and monies? Why or why not? What should be done about it?

If I get one person to contemplate, then this blog will be a success.