During Howard University’s Freshman Move-In Day on Aug. 9, students, parents and volunteers helped incoming freshmen settle into their new dorms before starting the fall semester. This is the first class to start at Howard since the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in June 2023. (Cleveland Nelson/The Washington Informer)
During Howard University’s Freshman Move-In Day on Aug. 9, students, parents and volunteers helped incoming freshmen settle into their new dorms before starting the fall semester. This is the first class to start at Howard since the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in June 2023. (Cleveland Nelson/The Washington Informer)

As the 2024-25 school year marks the first admissions cycle since the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overturned affirmative action in June 2023, Howard University students and faculty, as well as local experts, expressed concerns about the potential effects that the controversial court ruling could have on future students.

“​​I feel like [the overturning of affirmative action] just reverts society back,” said freshman Riian Martin, a member of Howard University’s largest incoming class on record. “The whole point of affirmative action was to help minorities have better opportunities. And it’s not giving them benefits, it’s just making it equal like how it was supposed to be since the beginning of time.”

The overturning of affirmative action “reverts society back” more than 60 years.

As a response to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and other social justice efforts of that time, President John F. Kennedy created a Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity in 1961 and issued Executive Order 10295, which introduced the term “affirmative action” in reference to “measures designed to achieve non-discrimination,” according to White House archives.

Affirmative action soon played a vital role in higher education admissions and allowed students from marginalized communities equal opportunities at competing against their white counterparts in academics. But in June 2023, when two Supreme Court cases –  Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard University and SFFA v. University of North Carolina – challenged the legalities of affirmative action in the college admissions process, SCOTUS judges ruled 6-3 against precedent and sparked much debate across college campuses about the future of diverse enrollment.  

Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Wake of the Overturning of Affirmative Action

Despite the overturning of affirmative action, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have always provided opportunities for diverse students to have access to education.

Martin told The Informer attending an HBCU was always the end goal after high school, noting it was imperative to be in an environment that prioritizes education and the Black experience. 

Possessing a keen interest in theater and a long-term track to study law, it was ultimately a career move that pushed the Florida native to choose Howard University for undergraduate studies.  However,  with the June 2023 SCOTUS ruling, she worries she won’t be able to approach graduate school applications with as much confidence and reassurance.

“​​There is barely any diversity at PWIs (predominantly white institutions) already. I honestly just don’t feel like there will be any diversity with the loss of affirmative action,” Martin said. “Black people won’t be getting the right opportunities that they could be if affirmative action was in place.”

Riian Martin, pictured here moving into Howard University’s College Hall North residence hall on Aug. 10, 2024, expressed concerns about the future of Black students’ access to higher education since the overturning of affirmative action in June 2023. (Courtesy photo)
Riian Martin, pictured here moving into Howard University’s College Hall North residence hall on Aug. 10, 2024, expressed concerns about the future of Black students’ access to higher education since the overturning of affirmative action in June 2023. (Courtesy photo)

Administrators and experts across multiple HBCUs have spoken out against the decision and the potentially harmful effects it could have on the respective universities. 

Howard University released a statement in a press release mere hours after the ruling was announced last summer:

“Today’s Supreme Court decision to overturn affirmative action is deeply concerning,” read the statement. “The decision will not only have a devastating impact on the diversity of colleges and universities across the country, but will also decrease access to higher education for students of color everywhere. Education is still a top driver of economic success for all Americans, and this decision will have far-reaching ramifications for those seeking equity in the college admissions process and beyond.”

Among the list of concerns since the controversial SCOTUS decision are population increase, limited housing and funding, and the “continued attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI),” said Dr. Wil Pilar, senior vice president of The Education Trust. 

He noted that higher education has already seen some of the adverse effects of the Supreme Court ruling.

“Institutions like Duke University are pulling the scholarships that they have for minorities, Penn State is undoing the multicultural resource center without any legislation. I’m hoping that institutions openly continue to do what they’re doing – challenging a court of law. That is not what we’re seeing, though,” Pilar told The Informer.

Having spent time working in admissions, Pilar said systemic disadvantages and biases – notably, how they “overwhelmingly benefit wealthy white students” – is what led him to advocate for affirmative action. 

The seasoned commentator believes there is still work that can be done to preserve diversity on the collegiate, and hopefully, federal scale. 

“I think a lot of what happens in higher education nationally is going to really be dependent upon what happens in this election. While there was some support for HBCUs in the [current] administration, I’m not sure if we’ll continue to see that,” he admitted. “With a less supportive administration, I think we’re going to see attacks that will come at the federal level. So, it matters who controls the House, the Senate, and who controls the White House.”

The Future of HBCUs 

As the first admitted class post-ruling starts this fall, it is still too early to see the concrete effects of affirmative action on HBCUs and PWIs. Nonetheless, experts have various predictions and hopes for what the impact could look like. 

Howard School of Law professor and interim Dean Lisa Crooms-Robinson said that the future of the celebrated HBCU will remain intact, with possibilities of stronger credentials in future applicants and a higher percentage of Black students to make space for on campus. 

According to Crooms-Robinson, this year’s “record number of applications” reflected that HBCUs will become more in demand. 

“HBCUs have been a safe haven for all of us who choose to come here. It’s just now more people realize that they’re not safe,” she said. “We’re going to do what we do regardless of what other institutions do. The education that Howard delivers, I don’t think that’s going to change. We’ll just have to deliver it to more people, potentially.”

Some sources told The Informer they hope that HBCUs will start to see more federal funding to compensate for the potential increase in students. Others would like to see a shift in the focus of DEI initiatives and who they are meant to target. 

If there is a positive impact, Pilar said, it would be that this could change the way educational systems and values are identified. 

Martin, who will attend Howard this fall as a legal communications major on the pre-law track, simply hopes there is a future where Black scholars can reap the benefits of affirmative action. 

 “Who knows? Maybe I might just be the lawyer to bring affirmative action back,” she told The Informer. “I would love to.”

Jada Ingleton is a Comcast Digital Equity Local Voices Lab contributing fellow through the Washington Informer. Born and raised in South Florida, she recently graduated from Howard University, where she...

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