With affirmative action now struck down by the Supreme Court Thursday, it’s drawing a discussion among the Asian American community on what this means for them and putting a focus on their mixed feelings when it comes to this issue.
“It’s always something on my mind on the front or on the back burner," said Max Bonadies, a Glastonbury High School student.
The thoughts of attending college continue to be a focus for Bonadies. Now he’ll have to navigate a space where affirmative action won’t be a factor in college admissions after the Supreme Court struck down the policy.
“It’s going to picture us as ‘Look at the Asian Americans succeeding’ and it’s going to put a divide in saying that race isn’t a factor, but in reality, race is a huge factor,” Bonadies said.
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UConn sophomore Hartiha Subramanian is stunned by the decision.
“Not having that diversity is not only going to hurt the Black and Latinx population, it’s going to hurt everyone,” Subramanian said.
But within the Asian American community there are mixed feelings about affirmative action. The plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case included Asian American students rejected from Harvard and the University of North Carolina, blaming affirmative action. A Pew Research survey shows 53% of Asian adults who’ve heard of affirmative action believes it’s a good thing.
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However, when split between different ethnicities, the results vary. 60% of Indian adults agreeing affirmative action is good while only 48% of Vietnamese adults agree.
Bonadies, who is a Vietnamese adoptee, points out the older generation usually kept their head down just to conform and not rock the boat, but says younger folks like his peers believe there needs to be change to make things equitable for not just Asians, but Black and brown communities as well.
“That’s not always the case. Sometimes, you have to be loud and show them it’s not always like the stereotype and look at us, there’s more than meets the eye,” Bonadies said.
Subramanian agrees, saying creating equity is important.
“I am sure that affirmative action would help a lot of lower income Asian Americans. Really anyone facing more systemic barriers in the end,” Subramanian said.
