For Immediate Release
August 30, 2018
Earlier today, the Department of Justice filed the United State’s Statement of Interest with the U.S. District Court in Boston, opposing Harvard College’s motion for summary judgment and supporting the plaintiff (Students for Fair Admissions, SFFA) in its lawsuit against Harvard. Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE) hails DOJ’s filing as a responsible government move to provide equal protection of the laws to Asian American children, who have been unlawfully discriminated by Harvard and many other selective colleges who have adopted Harvard’s admission practices.
This U.S. Statement of Interest cites plentiful Supreme Court precedents, which are cross-examined with Harvard’s internal record and SFFA’s reports to demonstrate that Harvard engages in racial bias and racial balancing with no intention to consider race-neutral alternatives or to take corrective actions. As the essential government institution to defend equal and impartial justice to all American citizens, the DOJ has substantiated in its statement a compelling government interest in taking a stance against Harvard’s anti-Asian discrimination in admissions. It precisely pinpoints that Harvard scores Asian-American children much lower in its Personal Rating, a driving factor in its loosely-defined admissions decisions and computes admission targets to match the fixed class size in an obvious manner of racial balancing. Moreover, the DOJ statement correctly evidences that Harvard has not sought and will not adopt “serious, good faith consideration of workable race-neutral alternatives,” even though the school failed to satisfy “strict-scrutiny burden” of justifying and providing meaningful criteria to its voluntary use of race in admissions.
We are pleased and encouraged that the U.S. government has taken an affirmative stance siding with Asian Americans’ civil rights fight against Harvard. Last November, the DOJ started to investigate Harvard’s admissions practices as a direct result of the AACE-led civil rights complaint against Harvard in May 2015. The DOJ’s timely weigh-in on SFFA’s lawsuit demonstrates the federal government’s willingness to redress Harvard’s civil rights violations in the form of racial discrimination against Asian Americans, under the pretense of campus diversity. The DOJ has showcased true leadership and stewardship in justice and equity for all Americans.
AACE president, Mr. Yukong Zhao, commented on DOJ’s statement: “The Department of Justice has done an outstanding job in defending fairness and justice for Asian American children, as well as in safeguarding the spirit of American Dream. According to a 2016 Gallup Poll, two third of Americans oppose race-based college admissions. The history is on our side! More and more Asian Americans have woken up and will no longer tolerate such blatant discrimination. Just last month, 156 Asian-American organizations joined AACE and filed an Amicus Brief in opposition to Harvard’s discrimination against Asian-American applicants. Today, I would like to advise all colleges that adopt Harvard admissions models: Stop your discriminatory practices. Race-based admissions policy is divisive and immoral. The better way to achieve racial diversity in college campus is through making improvements in K-12 education in minority communities, which AACE wholeheartedly supports, rather than unlawful racial balancing.”
Asian American Coalition for Education
MEDIA CONTACT:
Swan Lee, telephone: (617) 906-6380, email: swanleeca@gmail.com.
Wenyuan Wu, telephone: (786) 393-8028, email: admin@asianamericanforeducation.org .
About the AACE: www.asianamericanforeducation.org
Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE) is a non-political, nonprofit, grassroots national organization, the proven leader in fighting for Asian-American children’s equal educational rights.
On May 15, 2015, the founders of AACE united 64 Asian-American organizations and jointly filed a civil rights violation complaint with the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice against Harvard University’s discriminatory admissions practices against Asian Americans. This complaint is now being investigated by the Justice Department. Over the years, we have advanced the cause of educational equality for the Asian American community. In July 2018, the federal government adopted our policy recommendations by rescinding Obama era guidance that promoted racial balancing and acquiesced to racial discrimination in college admissions.