HBAS Statement on SCOTUS’ Affirmative Action Decision
We, the Harvard Black Alumni Society, an approved Shared Interest Group within the Harvard Alumni Association, remain united in solidarity through our shared belief in, and commitment to, the vital importance of an equitable and holistic admissions process that recognizes, values, and validates the racial and ethnic identities and lived experiences of all applicants.
We stand firmly with the University in its “commitment to the fundamental principle that deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences” from the joint statement by President Larry Bacow, President-elect Claudine Gay, Provost Alan M. Garber ’76, Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick, and the 15 University deans.
As we consider the truth about our nation’s history of exclusion and discrimination based on race, we cannot ignore the inequities that still remain today. We do not exist in a color-blind society; denying the continued impact of institutionalized and systemic racism is choosing to ignore – and accept – these inequities that disproportionately impact applicants of color.
There is great value, beauty, and power in diversity, and these benefits continue to have a significant impact on who we are as individuals, professionals, and contributors to our campus communities and beyond.
We will not passively allow the current backlash to our country’s recent racial reckoning turn back the clock on nearly five decades of racial progress. All Americans must be able to see and believe that education serves as a pathway to upward mobility for everyone, not just some.
We will stand on the side of fairness and justice.
We will stand on the right side of history. We are as determined as ever to continue the fight for educational access, opportunity, and equity; the fight for racial justice; and the fight for diverse and inclusive educational institutions. Our growing multiracial democracy demands nothing less.
Harvard Reaffirms Commitment to Diversity, Will Abide by Supreme Court Ruling