Not Separate, But Still Not Equal

Consequences of the outcome of Fisher v. The University of Texas

In 1953, when Thurgood Marshall was arguing the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education, no one knew that he would later go on to be the first African American to be appointed to the highest court in the country.  His appointment was groundbreaking, and he was able to get there on his own merit.  Yet, he recognized that what he was able to achieve was not the norm and he was a supporter of affirmative action policies.  In his view, African Americans were at a disadvantage, as he wrote in 1978, “Meaningful equality [for blacks] remains a distant dream.”  Almost 35 years later, and there are many ways that we are still trying to achieve equality.

Shortly after President Barack Obama was elected, a term was thrown around to discuss the evolution of race in America.  The term was “post-racial,” and it was used to justify how a black man and his family could end up in the White House.  But it didn’t take long for the dreams of a “post-racial” America to be shattered. Race has continued to play a prominent role in politics and other facets of life.  Just this year, we’ve seen Wells Fargo settle a discrimination lawsuit on the basis of race. Congressional Representatives have been called the “N” word and we’ve seen and heard other racially charged attacks against the president and first lady.  Racial and other biases still exist in this country, and anyone denying that is out of touch with reality.