People can criticize that decision all they want. The fact of the matter is that across racial categories, people do not believe that race should be a factor in college admission decisions. This will not bode well for future court decisions concerning affirmative action in other areas of society.
Those who know my work in race know that I reject a color-blindness approach. But I also deal in reality. And reality is that there is not going to be a huge pushback on that decision. Not with survey numbers like this. Those who want to use race-conscious mechanisms to address racial inequities have failed to convince large portions of the country of their viability. I conclude that ultimately, the decision the Supreme Court made was going to be made sooner or later because the public does not have an appetite for race-conscious programs.
Here is the irony. When I talk about collaborative conversations, I get blowback from the left and the right. But I have found some openness from some segments on the right to these ideas, while I find little or none on the left. But if those on the left were to learn how to engage in such conversations, they would have a better chance to alter the perspectives of other Americans. As someone who disagrees with the color-blind approach of the Supreme Court last week, I also know that as long as we have the type of race-based polarized conversations we have had in the past, we will treat affirmative action like a political football rather than engage in a deep purposeful conversation that can lead to better answers. I hope that more people who critique the Supreme Court decision also begin to see the need for such conversations.