Casey’s Response to the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is devoted to making sure that all children and youth in the United States — regardless of race, ethnicity or ZIP code — have a bright future. The Supreme Court’s June 29 decision to restrict affirmative action in college admissions is a direct threat to that vision.
Data show that children and youth of color are a long way from having a fair shot at success, despite the incremental progress the nation has made over the years. As we stated two weeks ago in our 2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book, “The country’s racial inequities remain deep, systemic and stubbornly persistent. Data suggest that our nation fails to provide American Indian, Black and Latino children with the opportunities and support they need to thrive — and to remove the obstacles they encounter disproportionately on the road to adulthood.” This is similarly true for large numbers of Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and Southeast Asian children.
These challenges will not dissolve on their own, just as they didn’t appear out of thin air. It will take concerted, consistent and targeted efforts over a long arc of time — such as the race-conscious admissions programs that were struck down — to remove the barriers that exist and promote greater equity and inclusion. In September, we will dive deeper into other strategies that have the potential for expanding opportunity for children of color when we release our third KIDS COUNT Race for Results report.
Meanwhile, as long as the data tells us it is essential to do so, we will continue to keep equity at the center of our work. Together with our partners and grantees in the public, private and nonprofit sectors, we will push to make the United States a place where all children, youth and young adults have the family connections, relationships, communities and educational and employment opportunities necessary for their well-being and success.
