Affirmative Action is How We Address Historical and Systemic Inequities

GreenLatinos argues that affirmative action is a critical tool for addressing historical and systemic inequities in the US higher education system. The organization warns that the Supreme Court's ruling against affirmative action threatens the participation of communities of color and risks reversing progress toward a more equitable society. To illustrate the danger of removing these policies, the statement cites California's experience after Proposition 209, noting that while over half of the state's public high school graduates are Hispanic, only 25% of University of California freshmen are from this background, with representation dropping to 15% at UCLA and Berkeley.

• GreenLatinos asserts that affirmative action is necessary to counteract systemic barriers and white supremacy within the US higher education system, promoting a diverse learning environment that prepares students for a diverse society.
• The document highlights the negative impact of banning affirmative action by citing California's Proposition 209 (1996), which resulted in a significant gap between the percentage of Hispanic public high school graduates (over 50%) and their representation as freshmen in the University of California system (25%), and specifically at UCLA and Berkeley (15%).

APA

Magaña, M. (2023). Affirmative Action is How We Address Historical and Systemic Inequities. GreenLatinos. https://www.greenlatinos.org/affirmative-action-is-how-we-address-historical-and-systemic-inequities/

Chicago

Magaña, Mark. Affirmative Action is How We Address Historical and Systemic Inequities. GreenLatinos, 2023. https://www.greenlatinos.org/affirmative-action-is-how-we-address-historical-and-systemic-inequities/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Magaña |first1=Mark |title=Affirmative Action is How We Address Historical and Systemic Inequities |publisher=GreenLatinos |date=30 June 2023 |url=https://www.greenlatinos.org/affirmative-action-is-how-we-address-historical-and-systemic-inequities/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{magaa2023affirmative, author = {Magaña, Mark}, title = {{Affirmative Action is How We Address Historical and Systemic Inequities}}, publisher = {GreenLatinos}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://www.greenlatinos.org/affirmative-action-is-how-we-address-historical-and-systemic-inequities/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }