How Black mayors can stand against the college access crisis after the dismantling of affirmative action in college admissions
OPINION: As mayors, we have the tools, the will and the responsibility to help students navigate the path to academic opportunity and socioeconomic mobility.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
The Supreme Court majority doesn’t care about Black students …
Or so it seems, following its recent decisions on affirmative action. In fact, these rulings are a reactionary blow to equity and fairness, a punch to the gut of the modern American experiment.
As the Supreme Court heads into a new term, the ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina fundamentally undermines our very ethos as Americans. The choice to dismantle affirmative action in higher education admissions while simultaneously sidelining the Biden administration’s attempt at student debt relief leaves Black students as well as public and private industries across the country, particularly in cities led by Black mayors, grappling with the repercussions.
Yet, legacy admissions remain unscathed, a perplexing oversight when such practices have come under intense scrutiny for perpetuating inequality. Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) like Wesleyan University, MIT and Carnegie Mellon recognized this and terminated their legacy admissions policies. Yet, the court’s decision selectively enforces the 14th Amendment, catering to privilege and further marginalizing historically disadvantaged communities.
What’s more, military academies are exempt from these new rulings. It’s a glaring inconsistency that hints at an implicit recognition of the enduring educational inequities faced by Black students while noting the pivotal value of diversity. Adrian Perkins, former mayor of Shreveport and the first Black student body president at West Point, expressed his observation of how the U.S. military academy is instrumental in elevating low-income Black boys from the South to prominent positions in the military and society. He conveyed that without consideration of race in the admission process, achieving similar results is challenging.
Ultimately, these rulings subvert equity in educational access while taking a toll on Black mayors tasked with city growth and workforce diversity. We don’t have to speculate about the outcomes. The experiences of California and Michigan make it crystal clear: Black students lose out on opportunity in “race-blind” admissions. In California, Black enrollment at top institutions dropped by over 40% after the ban. At the University of Michigan, Black enrollment also dropped. We also witness that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in corporate circles face potential demise because of these rulings. As companies receiving public benefits are retreating from DEI commitments, we will hold them accountable, especially in sectors where the stakes are high, such as healthcare and education. Indeed, the decline in racial diversity in colleges will undoubtedly affect the future leadership of companies settled within our cities.
So, what should Black mayors do about this?
First, we must use our mayoral powers to their fullest effect. While our mayors have varying levels of executive authority, we always have the moral authority as our cities’ chief growth officers and champions to sign executive orders, push local ordinances in our city councils, and demand our city managers or commissioners implement substantive policy changes to counteract these rulings.
This includes collaboration with educational institutions to safeguard ongoing efforts to recruit and support Black students such as implementation of an income-based admissions strategy to ensure diverse backgrounds in college recruitment. We must fight for investment in organizations and programs geared towards college preparation and success, and ensure that resources flow into nonprofits, college preparation programs, and entities like Los Angeles’ Black College Success Initiative. Cooperation between cities, corporations, and philanthropic partners is a necessity to bringing local resources to successful organizations.
Second, we must demand increased investment in federal TRIO and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) capital financing and tuition reimbursement programs to buoy these institutions for the expected rush of Black applicants while pressing state government to enhance programs for Title I schools, higher education partners, and school districts like California’s Student Opportunity and Access Program. Locally, initiatives that mirror Mayor Randall Woodfin’s Birmingham Promise and Mayor Byron Brown’s Say Yes To Buffalo can serve as exemplary alternatives that greatly benefit Black youth and students.
Finally, we must fight back. The 2024 elections offer an opportunity to push against those who support harmful policies targeting students of color. As leaders, it’s essential that we sound a rallying call in our communities, challenge discriminatory scholarships, and work with the Department of Education to scrutinize legacy admission preferences for families of alumni and prominent donors, as these policies foster the kind inequality that we believe no longer has a place in the recruitment process.
While these Supreme Court decisions are setbacks, they need not be final. It’s a call to arms, a moment for reflection, and a galvanizing force for action. The path to academic opportunity and socioeconomic mobility might now be strewn with obstacles, but as mayors, we have the tools, the will and the responsibility to navigate this path and lead our communities forward. Make no mistake, the Supreme Court’s decisions have created a far more treacherous path for Black and working-class people. As Black mayors, the opportunity —and frankly, the obligation — is there to lead this charge, to stand for fairness and equal opportunity. This fight for equitable access to education is in fact a fight for the very soul of our nation, and we cannot afford to lose.
Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard is president of the African American Mayors Association, the first female mayor in the history of the city of Mount Vernon, N.Y. and the first woman of color elected mayor in Westchester County. She has served as a trailblazer in the not-for-profit and government sectors for the past 25 years.
As the first Black mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, in the city’s 200-plus-year history, Mayor Steven Reed is transforming the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement into a leader in the New South. Despite challenges stemming from the global COVID-19 pandemic, state legislative overreach and old powers gasping for relevancy, Mayor Reed’s bold, progressive vision continues shifting the narrative and changing the trajectory for Montgomery — creating a community where everyone has a chance to live, learn and earn.
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