Affirmative Action in College Admissions: What it was, what it did, and what’s next

The Annenberg Institute will host Natasha Kumar Warikoo for a Rethinking Race and Education Seminar on affirmative action in college admissions. The talk will explore the legal and historical context of race-conscious admissions, how these policies have shaped ideas of merit and equity, and questions facing higher education following recent changes to admissions policy.

Abstract: Nearly one year ago, the US Supreme Court ended the ability of colleges to consider race in admissions. In this talk, I highlight the legal context for affirmative action in college admissions. I then discuss how the legal justifications have shaped the social meaning of affirmative action. I draw from my book The Diversity Bargain: And Other Dilemmas of Race, Admissions, and Meritocracy to illustrate the impact on students’ meaning-making about race and meritocracy, and from my book Race at the Top: Asian Americans and Whites in Pursuit of the American Dream in Suburban Schools to illustrate the impact on high school students’ understandings of merit and deservingness. I end with a discussion of better ways to conceptualize college admissions, drawing from my book Is Affirmative Action Fair? The Myth of Equity in College Admissions.