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Could affirmative action be a thing of the past?

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    Supreme Court takes up controversial case against University of Texas

  • Duration 5:23
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There -- -- new and significant challenge to affirmative action at the Supreme Court this week.

It will look at a case against the University of Texas that could potentially do away with the decades old practice of affirmative action for good at least in university senate.

The case was first brought forward by a then eighteen year old high school student in Texas whose application -- was rejected by the university.

Despite meeting all the necessary qualifications.

And the case winds up in the nation's highest court.

The Supreme Court this is.

Fascinating because it was about ten years ago that the Supreme Court upheld affirmative action.

In the use of college admissions if it was just one factor somebody's race he can't he -- does it can't be.

This many blacks as many whites SP one of the many factors.

And that's what this.

The university Texas isn't doing it's looking at -- is just one of many factors and -- all else being equal they're gonna admit the minority student that they wanna increase.

Minority enrollment so how does wind up -- the Supreme Court -- -- winds up because you've got to change of personnel since that decision was decided ten years ago with the addition of Chief Justice John Roberts and not Samuel Alito and I think the reality is.

That would the chief has said in a previous case that the way to end racial discrimination.

Is to end racial discrimination I -- -- did not consider race is the factor.

And it's interesting -- back to the history look at brown vs board of education which was the case and finally allowed for this -- of segregation.

What was -- that the lawyers were looking for what whether combat team in brown and that was that -- not be a factor in admission he can't deny somebody.

Because of the color of their skin but I never said if you get a special preference.

We had a special preference series of legislation over the last really 45 years and you talked to a lot of people now they think the time for that is overriding the Supreme Court is gonna come to -- that exact conclusion I think that's why they've taken the case out of Texas and that's to say -- that when we will look at qualifications of the candidates based on a number of factors.

And we will determine and admit those that are best qualified and not have race is a factor on the qualification or an admission I think that's good for everyone because basically.

You still have the situation where if you really want to played the race is a factor for admission that's Ellison of a form of insidious discrimination and of itself well -- Is it is students -- -- because it because he students of color are argue that.

For decades they've been sort of kept down in terms of university admission and then even -- socioeconomic status in many cities and states in this country.

That they aren't -- haven't historically been afforded the same opportunity.

And and have had difficulty pulling themselves out of a difficult situation and that you know they need a -- they need -- -- they don't need a complete.

-- a free pass they have to have decent marks and so on but when given that -- contest between themselves in and has student who's Caucasian they believe that that history.

Entitles them to a slight edge.

You know that histories is sought an important part of our history when there was racial discrimination that's we're going back 1560 years we've got a look at me with -- I think that when you start classifying people based on race that that's the discrimination in and of itself from first of all.

You got a multi racial society now in the United States we are again the melting pot.

And multiracial and that sense and -- we gonna say how do we determine what that race of that person -- -- -- the world part of the human race I get that but when you start -- -- de icing it down -- slicing it down that's not so easy to deal and I think fifty years or sixty years after brown vs board of education.

-- the culture and society is changed and I think -- giving.

Race as a factor is demeaning.

To those of those racial classification some of the leading surgeons of the world.

-- -- legal academics as Supreme Court justices.

Are minorities and they've done quite well thought I think taking right now -- president stepped wondered -- -- it's time now and -- president of the United States.

There's no question the people of color have -- have obtained amazing feats in this country but.

The here's what would happen if that if the case is a -- got denied in in favor of a black student she says she would've gotten in over that black student if there wasn't this preference for.

Racial minority at the University of Texas and by the way they did as soon as they started taking race into account.

Catapult Upton in in the six spot nationally in producing undergraduate degrees for minority groups.

If they get rid of the Supreme Court rules in this gals favored day.

Is affirmative action potentially just gone from the college setting it can't be used anymore potential.

I think so -- may be is special circumstances where they would allow -- they might wrapped.

-- opinion but I think what judge chief Justice Roberts said is right the way to end discrimination on a racist and racial discrimination into Mexico across the board.

And the reality is there are are a number of minority students.

Large numbers of minority students that are well qualified that would meet these academic criteria and and -- I do want to go back to the statement.

That I said previously if you look at the world we live in now the United States of America we've got leading.

Doctors positions that are minorities we've got a president of the united states of first black American president -- states really one of the first up.

Black leaders of the free world.

So let's be realistic here this and they -- -- the strides have been tremendous do we really need to have raises the factor.

Or is it simply as Doctor King said the content of their character not the color of their skin.

And I think that's the reality where we live in now that's the America today and I -- years ago but it is today.

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