Editor’s Note: Sampan asked a cross-section of Massachusetts residents about the recent court ruling regarding Affirmative Action. We spoke with retired Executives, academics, students, parents, and teenagers. What follows are their emailed responses, edited for clarity and space.

I am personally conflicted with how I feel about the overturning of affirmative action for college admissions. On one hand I can see the usefulness of affirmative action and how it creates a more diverse student body which is very important. As a student who is entering into the college admission process, when I see that my race is underrepresented at a school I may be more inclined to not apply for that school because it is normal for humans to feel more comfortable when surrounded by people who they share similarities with, and uncomfortable when surrounded by people who at first glance have no similarities with them. So I can see how this decision to overturn affirmative action could bring about many negative impacts on colleges and the college admission process. However, on the other hand I can also see how affirmative action is very unfair for some students. For example when two students who have nearly identical college applications -meaning: same SAT/ACT scores, similar extracurriculars, same GPA, etc – schools will then look at their race to decide whether or not they will be accepted which is very unfair because race is a factor that a student has absolutely no control over. Thus at highly competitive schools such as Harvard, students of races that are overrepresented will need to work much harder than their peers of different races for a chance to get in. Overall I don’t lean towards either side of the argument because I sympathize with the reasoning on both sides.

–Junior, Newton South High School

I think that this will be a problem for the future. Since many students may not have already have a high chance of getting to college? So with this chance, having your skin color also a part in whether you get accepted makes it unfair. I feel this can cause many unnecessary problems and potentially start one of those walk-outs or large crowds of people chanting for what they want to change. I think it would be best for this rule to not be put into play so students can continue to excel in life.

–High School Graduate, Boston

If the United States of America truly wanted to bridge the gap in racial income discrepancies. It would’ve by now. The United States’ only wish is to virtue signal and look good instead of actually fixing problems. If you wish to bridge the gap you start by giving them good and meaningful jobs like in trade and construction. You fix infrastructure in inner cities. You fix the police departments in how they function. Instead of having police departments which function on quotas and to produce money for the state you shift your focus into actually protecting and helping the community it resides in. Instead of hiring help from outside of the city who have barely any say or care in the community instead you have those who live in the community serve the police department.  Affirmative action was nothing more than a pity party for anyone of Latino, black or any other race. Funnily enough for motive action put a huge wall against Asian Students and very Discriminatory against Asian students. If a Latino who grew up in section 8 housing could get a full ride scholarship based on merit without any mention of race, anybody can. Even without giving any consideration to the merits of the decision, the Supreme Court case itself evidenced a long overdue recognition of the Asian American murmur; that murmur is an indispensable melody of the American symphony orchestra.

–Boston non-profit Board Member and Attorney

If this world was able to get along and have no racism at all, I would have agreed with the vote. In my opinion, this ruling will cause separation. It seems like segregation is trying to come back in place. The next thing you know, the workplace won’t have to be diverse anymore.

–Boston parent

This Supreme Court decision on affirmative action in the student admission process of highly sought-after college enrollments is an affront to reality. The important, and even essential, goal of equalizing opportunity and overcoming historical barriers to personal advancement has been massively deserved by the 6 judge majority ruling.  The decision can only be characterized as the imposition of an ideological framework on a well-developed and previously allowable remedy for generations of severe systemic disadvantage encountered by certain groups in our society. There is no positive result that will emerge from this irresponsible exercise of judicial power.

–Retired Human Services Advocate

The Supreme Court of these United States is an afterthought of the U.S.Constitutional convention. Today it is a body of 9 unelected persons, with no ethical standards.that serve at will and for a lifetime. It is a court that seems only interested in reordering the past,cherry-picking cases that represent the majority’s biases, such as ruling that agreement that an individual thinking of starting a business, open to the public can pre-select those people who have differing views and, perhaps, can put up signs stating no (select) will be served. [These are] reminders of signs in the past: No jews, no catholics,no Asians, no African Americans…The Supreme Court is better to be left behind in the dustbin of the past.

–Retired president/CEO, Boston Nonprofit

Since its inception, affirmative action was not an ideal solution to the widespread inequalities that minorities suffer from in this beautiful country. The Supreme Court ruling should have come long ago because many people missed the opportunity to go to college due to the quota system that favored one class over the other based on race or color of skin. Here is an example of the injustice behind affirmative action. The federal government considers the people of the middle east and north Africa as white while in society they are treated as Arabs or at least “not white”. In other words, they are white on paper thus universities will automatically inflict the affirmative action injustice on them; no questions asked. There are rich and poor people in each class. Access to college is a privilege that should be gained through hard work. If we accept students based on merit we will surely build stronger generations that will keep America in its leading role. 

–ESOL Instructor and Administrator

While AA has both negative and positive sides to it (especially for Black students), it may be worth trying class and economic background as a measure instead of race– assuming that some kind of lawsuit doesn’t strike it down in the future.  Frankly, I am worried that Asian students will now be ostracized and attacked since some were party to the decision and Asian students will be seen as more privileged and possibly racist. I could be wrong, but I am nervous. 

–Retired Librarian

The Supreme Court’s decision upholds one of the bedrocks of American democracy. No one shall be discriminated against or privileged merely based on their skin colors. Allowing consideration of race in college admission was to create a more diverse learning environment. That goal is still important for the future of this country, colleges and universities must and can find a way to achieve that without resorting to discriminating applicants based on their races. AACEA (Asian American Civic Engagement Alliance) will continue to work with our partners to help the social-economically disadvantaged, regardless of their races or skin colors.

–Asian American Civic Engagement Alliance