OPINION:
Senate Democrats shot down an amendment to prohibit funding for any institution of higher learning that discriminates against Asian Americans in recruitment, applicant review and admissions — essentially endorsing such discrimination at American universities.
The amendment was put forth by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and John Kennedy to be tacked onto an Anti-Asian crimes bill that addresses a rise in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Asian American discrimination in the application process among colleges and universities has been an ongoing problem within the U.S.
Last year, the Department of Justice accused Yale University of violating federal civil rights laws by illegally discriminating against Asian Americans. Prospective Asian American students had 1/10 to one-fourth the likelihood of admissions as Black students with similar academic credentials, the DOJ found.
Harvard University has been sued over its racially discriminative selections process, a case which could be reviewed before the Supreme Court. Plaintiffs in the case contend Harvard gives lower personality scores to Asian Americans, which weigh down their applications despite high academic achievement.
Only 17.6% of Asians receive top scores of 1 or 2 when it comes to their personal ratings, compared to 21.3% of White applicants. Asians score the lowest of any ethnic group at Harvard when it comes to this score — constantly getting pinged on traits such as “courage,” “leadership” and “likability.”
The Princeton Review has recommended Asian applicants stop saying they want to be doctors, or major in math or science, so they don’t appear “too Asian” and drag down their likability ratings.
High school education also exudes the same bias.
In 2016 Alison Collins, the vice president of San Francisco’s school board tweeted Asian Americans use “White supremacist thinking to assimilate and get ahead.” She also called merit-based admission at Lowell High School “racist,” because the school was majority Asian-American.
Although Mrs. Collins apologized for her tweets, the school board still plans to end its merit-based admissions at Lowell — the best performing school in the district — to a lottery-based system, all in the name of diversity. About 55% of Lowell students are Asian, about 17% of students are White, 11% are Latino and 2% are Black.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio commissioned a School Diversity Advisory Group which found that although Asian Americans only represent 17% of the city’s kindergarten population, they accounted for 42% of the gifted and talented seats. The mayor then devised a plan to bring more “equity” to those seats — by stripping Asians from them, no matter how qualified they were. He also tried to abolish entrance exams for the city’s best performing schools, because Asians were “overrepresented.”
Last year, North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, Washington grouped Asians in with Whites in their “equity report,” which measured their academic achievement against “students of color,” trying to show an equity gap. Apparently, Asians did too well, and if they were represented on their own the school couldn’t demonstrate the “persistent opportunity gaps,” between Whites and students of color. Against a huge backlash, the school retreated and admitted its “category choices” had “racist implications.”
In their rush to promote “diversity” and “wokeness” and condemn “White privilege” and the narrative of “the oppressed and the oppressors,” Democrats are instituting a reverse-racism, discriminating against Asians simply because they excel in merit-based systems.
“What do progressives say to a Chinese-American or Indian- American when she realizes their ideology means her children will be held to higher standards to get into college simply because of their race?” Wai Wah Chin, charter president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York, told the Alameda Sun.
What, indeed?
Higher education should be individual and merit-based. Applicants should never be accepted or denied because of their skin color or ethnic groups. And an overwhelming majority of Americans agree. A 2019 Pew survey found 73% of Americans believed race shouldn’t be a factor in college admissions.
So why did Senate Democrats block an amendment specifically designed so Asian American’s wouldn’t face this discrimination in higher education?
It’s simply wokeness gone wrong. Political correctness gone too far.
Apparently, Democratic logic is that racism is good for admissions, bad everywhere else.
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