Affirmative Action: Ensuring Opportunity in Education
This fact sheet provides the historical context for two cases being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court and their implications for equal educational opportunity. The fact sheet describes how affirmative action is an important part of ensuring that historically marginalized and underrepresented students of color have the chance to pursue higher education, and how the recent attacks on affirmative action are just one piece of a broader effort against civil rights and multiracial democracy. The fact sheet also outlines the history of affirmative action in higher education, previous legal challenges against the use of race as one factor among many in college admissions, and the legal precedent spanning more than 40 years that validates the educational benefits of a diverse student body.