Current Events
Nicholas Ying
Recently, colleges from around the country have been slowly reporting their racial
demographics for the class of 2028. They have been reporting various statistics such as the
number of White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic students. Though some colleges have decided to release only certain demographics, opting to exclude some demographics. For example, Harvard decided not to release the number of whites admitted to their class of 2028. This makes it extremely difficult to effectively compare the numbers that are coming out of different colleges.
These results are from the first application season in which colleges and universities
had to abide by the rules set forth in the supreme court case Students for Fair Admissions v.
Harvard (2023). This case was a landmark case, decided in 2023, which banned “using race as a factor in future undergraduate admissions decisions”, effectively overruling Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978).
Harvard specifically had a class size of 1970 with 14% being black or African American (down from 18%), 37% being Asian American, 16% being Hispanic or Latino, 1% Native American, and <1% being Native Hawaiian or another Pacific Islander. You might notice that these percentages do not add up to 100% (Harvard College 2024). That is because Harvard is hiding some of the statistics from public view. This lack of transparency can be quite concerning coming from an educational institution that is meant to teach the next
generation. So, it is an imperative that educational institutions are carefully monitored to
ensure that the next generation of minds receives a diverse education.
When asking students at the British International School about the decrease in African American students, many were concerned about the diversity on Harvard Campus with one anonymous student saying, “I believe one of Harvard’s greatest assets is the
diversity on its campus”. Conversely an anonymous student quoted Martin Luther King Jr.saying that “people should not be judged on the color of their skin, but by the content of
their character”, effectively supporting race blind admissions regardless of the outcome.
As the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging class representative, I think that it is
very important to have diversity in all educational institutions. While we may not be able to
impact Harvard’s diversity and inclusivity, we can start here at the British International
School of Boston. We can start small by just reading on your own about various cultures.
Then you could take it a step further, and we could talk to others about other cultures or
even your own culture. For example, I presented to the lower school about the culture of
Germany and their LGBTQ+ history. If you see injustice in the world, you can make a difference, and it all starts at the local level, just like me.
Bibliography:
1. Supreme Court of the United States. (2023). Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v.
President and Fellows of Harvard College. Supreme Court of the United States.
2. Harvard College. (2024). Admissions Statistics | Harvard College. Harvard.edu.
Good article