College Bound’s Statement on Supreme Court “Fair Admissions” Decision

“No one benefits from ignorance. Although formal race-linked legal barriers are gone, race still matters to the lived experiences of all Americans in innumerable ways, and today’s ruling makes things worse, not better.”

—Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

“I don’t want nobody to give me nothing; open up the doors and I’ll get it myself.”

—James Brown, Entertainer/Activist

Embedded in the vision of College Bound is the charge to help the students entrusted in our care “navigate barriers” to access and attain higher education. While some of these barriers can be addressed through self-advocacy, mentorship and encouragement, the preponderance of the barriers confronted by our students are often put in place by history, society, circumstance and others beyond their control. The recent disheartening decision by the Supreme Court to eliminate race- conscious admissions practices adds not only to these barriers, but also compounds the labor involved in seeking to circumvent them.

The protracted consequences of this decision are still yet to be determined, but will no doubt be experienced both covertly and overtly for years to come. College Bound’s steadfast mission and our organization’s reach are more urgent than ever before. As we have done for the last seventeen years, we will continue to resolutely pursue, prepare and empower our students in their higher education and career endeavors. We will continue to work in tandem with our university partners to strive toward the long-range success and holistic flourishing of our students while on their campuses and well beyond. We will continue to monitor the ever-changing landscape of college admissions, while paying particular attention to data that reveal the ripple effects of this “Fair Admissions” ruling on the retention, matriculation, and graduation rates of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

We will continue the fight to have the doors of choice and opportunity opened for each of our deserving students on this journey. We are disappointed, indeed, in this decision, but we remain undeterred.

To partner with us on this mission, please visit us at collegeboundstl.org.