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Press Releases
Lawyers'
Committee for Civil
Rights Under Law
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005
For
Immediate Release
Contact: Diane Gross
202-662-8600
April
1 , 2003
Lawyers’
Committee Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Michigan Admissions
Program
Statement
of Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director
Washington
D.C. – Today, the United States Supreme Court
will hear oral arguments in two of the most significant
civil rights cases of the century – Gratz v.
Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger. With these cases
the Supreme Court will decide if its longstanding
decision in Bakke, which allowed consideration of
race as one factor to foster diversity, will remain
the law of the land. For over twenty-five years, colleges
and universities throughout the United States have
relied on race-conscious admissions policies to overcome
our nation’s legacy of discrimination and to
ensure that student bodies are diverse. As a result,
the decision that the Supreme Court makes will have
a serious impact on all Americans, from schools to
workplaces, for decades to come.
The
program at the University of Michigan is not unique;
colleges and universities, both pubic and private,
know the benefits of diversity and have instituted
similar programs. They know that the diversity they
seek goes beyond race, ethnicity, and gender to include
students who are from geographically diverse locations,
or who are good athletes, or who come from disadvantaged
schools, or even those who have parents who attended
the University, because all of these students have
different outlooks and perspectives that contribute
to the class. The University knows that it is critical
for students to understand and appreciate people’s
differences in the academic setting because that is
where students develop the skills, knowledge, and
relationships essential to becoming a successful member
of our society. Businesses and corporations also know,
as is evident from their numerous amicus briefs, that
it is critical for students to develop these skills
so that they can help businesses compete successfully
in the global marketplace.
We
need look no further than the recent census to see
the diverse populations that make up the United States.
As we become a more diverse nation, it is imperative
that our schools, businesses, hospitals and courtrooms
reflect that diversity. Our society would look very
different if we did not have the benefits of race-conscious
measures to ensure inclusion and equal opportunity.
Now is not the time for the Supreme Court to roll
back the clock on that racial progress. Affirmative
action helps ensure that all people, regardless of
race and gender, have the tools and skills to succeed;
the economic well being of our nation depends on nothing
less.
The
Lawyers’ Committee is a forty year old nonpartisan,
nonprofit civil rights legal organization, formed
in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy
to provide legal services to address racial discrimination.
The Lawyers’ Committee has through litigation
and advocacy worked to protect and preserve affirmative
action in higher education, employment and contracting.
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