Campus Compact Response to Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action

Posted by Campus Compact on July 11, 2023

As we all continue to reflect on yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, Campus Compact stands in solidarity with the anger and frustration already voiced by our colleagues and thought partners at ACE, AAC&U, Kettering Foundation, NADOHE, and many other organizations. We join these partners and our 500+ member campuses in support of affirmative action and its importance in creating a more just and equitable future.

In her dissenting opinion, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote, “The only way out of this morass—for all of us—is to stare at racial disparity unblinkingly, and then do what evidence and experts tell us is required to level the playing field and march forward together, collectively striving to achieve true equality for all Americans.”

In the coming weeks, months, and years, Campus Compact is going to answer this call.

We know that campuses will navigate this decision while adhering to their commitment to building equitable communities through civic and community engagement efforts. To support this, we will do what we do: empower campuses to support students of all backgrounds—especially those from historically marginalized communities—and to take bold and courageous action to build a just, equitable, and sustainable future.

Campus Compact will continue to build coalitions and support advocacy in this space—addressing threats to campus diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, censorship of learning, and academic freedom. We encourage you to take advantage of Campus Compact’s tools, reach out to us, and leverage our network to connect with other institutions to move forward this critical work on your campus. Here are some other resources we think might be helpful:

• Our forthcoming publication: Anti-racist Community Engagement: Principles and Practices
• Ongoing relationship-centered professional development opportunities, including the Engaged Scholars Initiative, Communities of Practice, and the upcoming Changemakers Retreat