ALT "WHYY News Civic News Summit: Connecting Local Communities. Fri + Sat, April 4 & 5, 2025. 9 AM - 4 PM. WHYY, 150 N. Sixth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106." Photo of a woman at a microphone wearing a WHYY N.I.C.E. t-shirt. Logos for WHYY, N.I.C.E., Bridging Blocks, and Every Voice Every Vote.
ALT Today’s Supreme Court decisions on Affirmative Action in college admissions represent yet another blow to the civil rights infrastructure and the freedom to learn in this country. These decisions are a cornerstone of an effective, growing and coordinated campaign by right-wing extremists to undermine multiracial democracy. For years, Affirmative Action has been overlooked as a major civil rights issue by people who purport to be the liberal establishment while also continuing to be a key target for democracy’s opponents on the right. Why? Because the attack on Affirmative Action was the gateway into the conservatives’ overall argument positioning anti-racist ideas and actions as punitive against White Americans instead of promoting equality for all. Censorship, CRT bans, book bans, “Don’t Say Gay” laws, fake outrage at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives — these anti-democratic assaults are all branches of the same tree, a tree whose roots are rotting.
