Minority Groups Challenge Harvard’s Legacy Admissions—Days After Affirmative Action Struck Down
ForbesJul 09, 2023
The Facts
Less than a week after SCOTUS struck down affirmative action in higher education admissions, three advocacy groups have filed federal civil rights complaints against Harvard College, alleging that its legacy admissions policy for undergraduate applicants with family ties to the school favors an “overwhelmingly white” group of candidates.
The Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) non-profit — representing the Chica Project, the African Community Economic Development of New England, and the Greater Boston Latino Network — filed the complaint Monday.
The Spin
Narrative A
Legacy admission policies are essentially affirmative action for privileged white people. With the recent supreme court decision to overturn affirmative action, it's more important than ever to eliminate policies that systematically disadvantage students of color. Applicants should no longer benefit from advantages from prior generations rather than their own merit.
Narrative B
Legacy admissions policies promote strong communities and incentivize donors to give money to schools like Harvard — outcomes that benefit not only legacy candidates but all students at these universities. Non-legacy students are given the opportunity to network with elite social groups, sowing the seeds for a prosperous career. Contrary to popular rhetoric, the practice is a boon for equal opportunity.
