Washington, DC – On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 4-3 in Fisher v. University of Texas in favor of the use of affirmative action policies in university admissions. The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) commends the Supreme Court’s decision that considers and values racial diversity as a factor for a well-rounded student body on college campuses.

“Today’s decision is so important to help level the disparities in our higher education institutions. Expanding the opportunities for education for all students and valuing what diverse people bring to the table undoubtedly benefit our country as a whole,” stated APALA National President Johanna Hester. “We need to prioritize inclusivity and promoting cross-racial and cross-cultural understanding in an increasingly globalized society.”

The case arose from claims by Abigail Fisher, a white student who alleged that she was denied admission to University of Texas based on her race. Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, with support from APALA and more than 160+ Asian American Pacific Islander organizations, filed three separate amicus briefs in support of affirmative actions in higher education.  

Many institutions of education have a long history of structural racism and overt policies that continue to harm people of color within our society. In the K-12 public education system, people of color still face substandard, underfunded schools with alarmingly high drop-out rates. Standardized tests, which are largely used by higher education institutions for admissions decisions, have also been proven to have racially discriminatory impact.

“Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are not a monolithic group. Many groups within the AAPI community, such as Southeast Asian Americans, don’t have the same access to higher education as other AAPIs. When we look beyond the model minority, we see that affirmative action does indeed benefit AAPIs students and all students,” added Monica Thammarath, APALA National 1st Vice President and Co-Chair for the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) Education Committee. “The AAPI community should not be used as a model minority to further wedge and divide communities of colors.”
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APALA continues to advocate for racial justice and stands in solidarity with African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans in defending and expanding affirmative action.  

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Washington, DC – On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 4-3 in Fisher v. University of Texas in favor of the use of affirmative action policies in university admissions. The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) commends the Supreme Court’s decision that considers and values racial diversity as a factor for a well-rounded student body on college campuses.

“Today’s decision is so important to help level the disparities in our higher education institutions. Expanding the opportunities for education for all students and valuing what diverse people bring to the table undoubtedly benefit our country as a whole,” stated APALA National President Johanna Hester. “We need to prioritize inclusivity and promoting cross-racial and cross-cultural understanding in an increasingly globalized society.”

The case arose from claims by Abigail Fisher, a white student who alleged that she was denied admission to University of Texas based on her race. Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, with support from APALA and more than 160+ Asian American Pacific Islander organizations, filed three separate amicus briefs in support of affirmative actions in higher education.  

Many institutions of education have a long history of structural racism and overt policies that continue to harm people of color within our society. In the K-12 public education system, people of color still face substandard, underfunded schools with alarmingly high drop-out rates. Standardized tests, which are largely used by higher education institutions for admissions decisions, have also been proven to have racially discriminatory impact.

“Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are not a monolithic group. Many groups within the AAPI community, such as Southeast Asian Americans, don’t have the same access to higher education as other AAPIs. When we look beyond the model minority, we see that affirmative action does indeed benefit AAPIs students and all students,” added Monica Thammarath, APALA National 1st Vice President and Co-Chair for the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) Education Committee. “The AAPI community should not be used as a model minority to further wedge and divide communities of colors.”
​
APALA continues to advocate for racial justice and stands in solidarity with African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans in defending and expanding affirmative action.  

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Washington D.C. – The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, is the first and only organization of Asian Pacific American workers and union members. APALA supports Affirmative Action and opposes the attacks on the Harvard University Affirmative Action program.

The United States government and many institutions of higher education have a long history of institutional racism and overt policies of racial discrimination that have harmed people of color within our society.

Affirmative Action policies were established to help correct generations of racial discrimination, and to promote racial inclusion.

Higher learning institutions, including Harvard University, for generations promoted exclusionary admissions policies that prevented fair participation from African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and women. The reason there has been a change in the racial and gender composition in higher education institutions such as Harvard University is due to Affirmative Action.

This country still has a long way to go in addressing racial justice. There are still huge disparities in the K-12 public education system, where large numbers of racial minorities face substandard, underfunded schools, with alarmingly high drop-out rates. Standardized tests which are largely used by higher education institutions for admissions decisions have been also proven to have racially discriminatory impact.

Racial barriers still exist within communities of color, including African Americans, Latinos, and certain Asian and Pacific Islander groups. In the employment arena, Affirmative Action policies have opened up opportunities for Asian Pacific Americans in the work force, and have challenged unfair racially discriminatory practices that have harmed Asian Pacific Americans in hiring and promotion. 

Anti-Affirmative Action advocates within the API community argue that African Americans and Latinos who enter higher education through Affirmative Action are taking positions that would otherwise go to Asian Americans. This is a fallacious and divisive position. Affirmative Action takes into account racial and economic barriers that have limited opportunities for students of color, and rejects the notion that test scores and grades should be the sole determinant of admissions. Affirmative Action allows for race and ethnicity to be considered in admissions decisions among fully qualified candidates. In fact, Harvard and other private universities still have “legacy” programs that provide special admissions privileges for sons and daughters of alumni, which also re-enforces racial disparity.

The Asian Pacific American community should not be used as a divisive force by conservative, anti-Affirmative Action forces who oppose racial justice and racial inclusion. Asian Pacific Americans should stand in solidarity with African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans in defending and expanding Affirmative Action.

​Asian Pacific Americans will never obtain justice and equality until all communities of color obtain justice and equality. APALA supports Affirmative Action at Harvard University, in higher education, and in the work place. 

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