Ivy League affirmative action case divides US Chinese community
A lawsuit against Harvard University is claiming diversity policies discriminate against Asian Americans, but not everyone agrees
A bitter legal battle with Harvard University that is set to play out in a courtroom next month could potentially affect the future of many ethnic Chinese students who aspire to enter one of America’s most competitive academic institutions.
The lawsuit has reignited a long-simmering debate in the US about affirmative action, a policy that has safeguarded racial diversity on American college campuses for decades.
The plaintiffs, a group of Asian-American students Harvard rejected, contend that the university intentionally and systematically discriminates against applicants on the basis of race.
If they win, and Harvard is forced to dismantle its affirmative action admissions policy, decades of progress towards racial equality in American education could be reversed.
DEATH KNELL
“That will be the death knell of diversity in US colleges throughout the country,” said Nicole Ochi, a Los Angeles-based lawyer for the civil rights advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
The case touches on a highly sensitive issue for the Asian-American community, many of whom are the children of immigrants who have emphasised the importance of education as the key to social mobility.