Minority Groups Turn Up the Heat On Affirmative Action Opponents
By Charles Dervarics
Civil rights organizations and groups representing Hispanics and African Americans are turning up the heat on opponents of the University of Michigan affirmative action case even before the case gets before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Advocates went on the offensive in early January as the court prepared to accept final legal briefs in the case. In a series of public forums, they argued that a rollback of the university’s policy would have a chilling effect on access by students of color to higher education.
“Ending affirmative action would shut the door to the American dream for a vast number of our citizens,” said groups such as the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) in an open letter to President Bush. A ruling against the Michigan policy would create an “immediate crisis” for Hispanics, whose college-going rates lag behind those of both Whites and African Americans.
