For Immediate Release:
June 29, 2023
Contact:
Rachel Noerdlinger, rnoerdlinger@actumllc.com
Emma Brodsky, ebrodsky@actumllc.com
FPWA CEO JENNIFER JONES AUSTIN DENOUNCES U.S. SUPREME COURT’S DECISION TO STRIKE DOWN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
New York, NY (June 29, 2023) — Today, FPWA CEO Jennifer Jones Austin released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions. This comes as FPWA’s latest analysis of civil rights progress since the 1963 March on Washington shows persisting racial inequities in education and economic-related outcomes. Funding disparities between schools with majority Black students versus majority White students remain especially stark, and even with comparable or identical college degrees, Black people make an average 20% less each year.
“As an organization committed to dismantling systemic racism, FPWA denounces the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in the college admissions process. Since Affirmative Action’s inception, opponents have ignored the reason for race to be a consideration—to responsively acknowledge racism and how it impacts people of color’s lives, and particularly their educational experiences and lifelong opportunities. They have attacked the policy for being anti-meritocratic and unfair to deserving students. Today’s Supreme Court’s decision embraces their false narrative and willfully disregards persisting structural racism and resulting intergenerational inequality and inequity.
FPWA will continue working to dismantle structural and institutional barriers that have persisted for over 400 years in America, and will fight to advance policies that promote racial and economic equity.”
About FPWA
FPWA is an anti-poverty policy and advocacy organization committed to advancing economic opportunity, justice, and upward mobility for New Yorkers with low incomes. Since 1922, FPWA has driven groundbreaking policy reforms to better serve those in need. We work to dismantle the systemic barriers that impede economic security and well-being, and strengthen the capacity of human services agencies and faith organizations so New Yorkers with lower incomes can thrive and live with dignity.
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