WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action, ruling it unconstitutional to consider race in university admissions.
The vote was 6-3 in the University of North Carolina case and 6-2 in the Harvard University case, according to the Associated Press. Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself from voting in the Harvard case.
President Joe Biden said SCOTUS “walked away from precedent” on Thursday, and that he “strongly disagrees” with the decision.
“Our colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse. And America is stronger because we are tapping into our full range of talent,” he added. “Today’s Supreme Court decision is not the last word.”
Many PR agencies responded quickly. Firms within The Change Agencies, a national network of independent multicultural and LGBTQ+-owned and operated communications agencies, voiced their outrage in statements to PRWeek.
“If the Supreme Court will uphold race based decisions for U.S. military service academy recruiting but not for U.S. colleges and universities, the conservative majority has officially shown their true colors,” said Audrey Ponzio, CEO and founder of APC Collective, a PR firm in Austin, Texas.
Dallas-based firm Project Mockingbird is partnering with diversity, equity and inclusion technology company Kanarys to provide critical resources and guidance to corporations as they navigate the implications of the SCOTUS ruling in the workplace, it said in a statement.
Some of the nation’s largest education nonprofits have taken to social media to push back. Here’s how a few organizations reacted to SCOTUS’ landmark decision.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Teach for America
National Education Association
The Education Trust
Education Reform Now
Many civil rights and racial justice organizations have spoken out online, too.
NAACP
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Hispanic Federation
This article originally appeared on PRWeek US.
