By National Fair Housing Alliance
Special to The Truth
The Supreme Court’s recent decisions against
affirmative action, LGBTQ+ rights, and student loan forgiveness were some
of the most troubling and harmful rulings that the Court has issued in
decades, said National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) President and CEO Lisa
Rice. Read her full statement below.
“With this regressive set of rulings against affirmative action, LGBTQ+
rights, and student loan forgiveness, this Supreme Court issues decisions
that will entrench bias, discrimination, and disturbing disparities and
lead our society toward inequity and injustice.
“In its 6-3 ruling against affirmative action plans at Harvard and
University of North Carolina, the Court ignored nearly 50 years of
precedent and the lower court’s factual analysis. It also ignored stark
truths about systems of bias, created by centuries of race-based laws and
policies, that still harm millions of people every day. For example, high
levels of school segregation still exist in this nation with predominately
Black and Latino school districts receiving, annually, about $23 billion
less than predominately White school districts even though they educate
roughly the same number of students. School segregation is deeply driven by
residential segregation. Our neighborhoods are more segregated today than
they were 100 years ago, and communities of color have far fewer resources
and amenities than do predominately White communities. Those amenities
include clean land, air, and water; healthcare facilities; internet
services; full-service grocery stores; banks and credit unions; and the
like.
“It is important to note that the Court’s ruling is limited, only
applying to those universities, and is not an outright ban on affirmative
action in college admissions. In another disappointing and alarming turn of
events, the Court’s decision in _303 Creative v. Elenis_ essentially
gives some businesses cart blanche to discriminate against LGBTQ+
individuals under the guise of protecting free speech, and the case
presents ethical standing questions. Finally, the Court’s decision to
block President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan will prevent
millions of Americans from gaining the financial freedom from the burden of
student loan debt that they need to buy a home, start a business, or just
thrive. The decision presents a particular hardship for women and students
of color — especially Black students — and will hamper equitable growth
in the economy.
“This trilogy of disturbing rulings from the Court’s 6-3
ultra-conservative majority provides further motivation to redouble our
advocacy efforts to ensure that the promises of the nation’s principles
of justice and liberty reach everyone. Now is not the time to retreat;
rather, we must boldly advance equitable opportunities so that we may all
thrive, our nation can be productive, and our economy can flourish.”