Dear Roosevelt Community,
From its earliest inception, America has been a nation of many peoples from all corners of the globe, so it is hard to imagine how diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have become so controversial. It is tempting to dismiss this as political posturing, but the debate over DEI is part of a more foundational debate over issues such as fairness and even about what it means to be American.
Today’s Supreme Court decision on affirmative action will, without doubt, interrupt our nation’s efforts to make higher education more accessible and equitable. The decision overturns long-standing precedent and limits universities’ ability to consider race as an express factor in admissions.
Affirmative action was initially justified based on the idea that diversity was a valuable goal to seek in creating a student body. From the start, though, many resisted—sometimes violently—to that idea. In a 2003 decision that narrowly upheld affirmative action, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, our first female Supreme Court justice, wrote, “We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest [in student body diversity] approved today.”
Many people in our nation clearly agree with that idea. I believe her view is far too short-sighted. It is all too easy to fall back into tribalism and narrow-minded views about identity. These are important discussions, although as a professor who spent many years in the classroom, I do wish we could talk to each other in a spirit of generosity and open-mindedness, rather than the angry and divisive tone that pervades so many of our political debates today.
In the midst of all of this heated rhetoric, I think it’s very easy to forget about the most important piece of all of this—the actual students who are most directly affected by these policies. And when we focus on the students, the very real benefits of DEI initiatives come to the forefront of the political baggage that has been tied to DEI policies.
Roosevelt was founded in 1945 out of protest to the racial, religious and gender-based segregation that dominated colleges and universities. For seventy-eight years, Roosevelt has sought to break down barriers and provide education to those previously excluded. I’m not sure how many years will be enough to create a nation that fully embraces diversity, equity and inclusion, but I know these values are worth fighting for. We at Roosevelt will continue to fight for them and do our best to live up to them.
With warm regards,
Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President