College Success Foundation’s response to SCOTUS striking down race-conscious college admissions

What an absolute blow to any gains we, as a society, have collectively strived for in the name of educational equity. Today’s SCOTUS decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions takes us all backwards—its ramifications will reverberate throughout generations. At a time when educational achievement and wage gaps are still gulf-sized for people of color, this myopic decision makes this divide even more challenging to close.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the majority decision in her scorching dissent on the Harvard case, “Equal educational opportunity is a prerequisite to achieving racial equality in our Nation. Today, this Court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress. …the Court cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society where race has always mattered and continues to matter.”

College Success Foundation was consciously established in 2000, partially in response to Washington state’s 1998 affirmative action-crushing initiative, I-200, which was passed and is still in effect today. Washington state has seen first-hand the decades-long consequences of being “colorblind” to race in college admissions. With this latest attempt at quieting color, students of color will have less access and ultimately be less represented on college campuses nationwide.

At CSF, we believe that every person has the right to a college education. We serve students from low socioeconomic, underrepresented backgrounds. Of the students we support, 75% self-identify as a student of color, 76% are from low-income families and 79% are the first in their families to attend college. We believe in the strength and value of diversity. Diversity strengthens education by fostering critical thinking, it promotes understanding and empathy, challenges stereotypes and encourages innovation. Embracing diversity creates a more inclusive, enriching, and equitable learning environment for all students.

In response to the SCOTUS decision to overturn race-conscious college admissions policies, CSF is announcing several steps to continue to empower individuals from underrepresented communities and ensure their access to our pathway of programs and quality higher education.

Today, we are introducing CSF’s new Empowering Equality Scholarship which aims to counteract the systemic erasure of underrepresented voices–invoking the spirit of affirmative action, an antiracist policy essential to safeguarding students’ access to education. The scholarship will be open to Washington state and Washington D.C. students who demonstrate academic promise, financial need and involvement in extracurricular activities, community service, or leadership roles. Through its multifaceted approach encompassing financial assistance, skill development, and invaluable networking opportunities, this visionary scholarship strives to cultivate a just and inclusive educational terrain, simultaneously nurturing a cadre of future leaders poised to make transformative contributions to society. We eagerly anticipate awarding and celebrating our first recipients in early 2024.

Additionally, CSF commits to continue to optimize its programs and outreach strategies to make our services even more accessible to the students of color affected by this reprehensible decision. CSF pledges to further research the demographic makeup of our existing student pathway–ensuring the greatest impact for our targeted mission population. Lastly, we will partner with agencies and other community-based organizations to discuss and develop practices and initiatives which further promote equitable access to education.

CSF is an antiracist organization that challenges beliefs, behaviors and policies that perpetuate systemic oppression. We will continue to leverage our voice and position when underrepresented people are affected.