For Release: April 1, 2003
Contact: David Almasi at 202/543-4110 or [email protected]
On April 1, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could redefine how affirmative action racial preference policies determine school admissions. A decision is expected by the end of June.
As a public service intended to provide educational information about the debate over racial set-aside programs to those interested in learning more, the African-American leadership network Project 21 maintains the "Affirmative Action Information Center" (http://www.nationalcenter.org/AA.html) as an online resource.
Project 21's "Affirmative Action Information Center" contains commentary from a variety of perspectives. It also features articles, legislation and legal information related to affirmative action policy as well as links to other groups involved in the debate regarding the policy's constitutionality. Project 21 members hope the online information center will help those interested individuals learn more about the intellectual underpinnings of affirmative action policy and the criticism of it rather than just relying on the heated and emotional statements that usually dominate media reports.
In the case currently before the Supreme
Court, the University of Michigan is seeking to uphold a preference
policy giving certain minority students an edge in the admissions
process due to their racial heritage. While supporters of this
policy claim that diversity is a legitimate and legal goal for
the school to promote, plaintiffs and their allies say that affirmative
action policies like the one at the University of Michigan discriminate
against students who meet the academic requirements over those
who are not as qualified.
Project 21 has been a leading voice in the African-American community
since 1992. For more information, contact Chris Burger or David
Almasi at (202) 543-4110 or [email protected],
or visit Project 21's web site at http://www.project21.org/P21Index.html.
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