It’s not the most discussed news item from mainstream headlines. Nevertheless, astute readers should pay close attention to the underlying signs pointing towards the end of affirmative action.

For decades, Asian Americans have asserted that affirmative action actually discriminates against them. The irony, of course, is that progressive politicians drafted the policy to bring diversity to college campuses, which it did. According to a Time.com article:

Asian-Americans — about 6% of the U.S. population — made up nearly 23% of Harvard’s most recent class of admitted students, while African American students made up 15% and Hispanic or latino students made up 12%. Harvard admitted a majority of nonwhite students for the first time two years ago.

Despite the fact that Asian Americans represent a legitimate minority group in the U.S., they are many times the majority in higher education. According to an NBCNews.com article almost a decade ago, it reported the following:

Asian-Americans are the single largest ethnic group among UC’s 173,000 undergraduates. In 2008, they accounted for 40 percent at UCLA and 43 percent at UC Berkeley — the two most selective campuses in the UC system — as well as 50 percent at UC San Diego and 54 percent at UC Irvine.

Asian-Americans are about 12 percent of California’s population and 4 percent of the U.S. population overall.

To end affirmative action, an organization called the Students for Fair Admissions filed a lawsuit against Harvard. The group’s founder is conservative activist Edward Blum.

Blum is white.

 

Affirmative Action Is On Life Support

While highly-qualified Asian-American students suffered under affirmative action, another group was also looking to eradicate it. White conservatives frequently cited Asian Americans as a minority demographic that would thrive under less government restriction and oversight.

Initial attempts to remove affirmative action failed. This was due in large part that Asian Americans – the so-called “model minority” – were used as puppets. The schtick failed to convince anybody.

But now, the situation is completely different. Thanks to President Trump’s electoral victory two years ago, the government has firmly shifted to the right. One significant impact is the Supreme Court, which now has a conservative bias.

Undoubtedly, the lawsuit against Harvard will go before the highest court of the land. When it does, the justices will preside over an extremely compelling case.

Unlike other lawsuits claiming reverse discrimination, Harvard-denied Asian Americans have a strong case for themselves. Here are extremely bright and accomplished individuals who have outclassed whites in all academic metrics. They only fell short to personal factors – factors in which school administrators can invoke race as a consideration.

In this qualitative arena, Asian Americans have consistently fallen short, the lawsuit asserts. And the Students for Fair Admissions’ attorneys will ask, what does race have to do with being a good student? The Supreme Court will not be able to argue against this point for fear of creating unforeseen precedent.

Perhaps the biggest irony here is that white right-wingers have finally taken down a stronghold holding down whites. And they only have Asian Americans to thank.