Harvard Law welcomes its lowest number of Black students since the 1960s, according to the New York Times.
In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the reinstatement of affirmative action. The high court ruled the implementation of the policy is unconstitutional as it violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
Due to this reversal, Harvard’s Black admissions have decreased to barely abovethe size of its 15-member65 class.
Harvard Law spokesman Jeff Neal spoke about the importance of a diverse student body and the merit of that diversity in education.
“A student body composed of persons with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences is a vital component of legal education.” He continued, “Harvard Law School remains committed to following the law and fostering an on-campus community and a legal profession that reflect numerous dimensions of human experience.”
Neal believes in the necessity of diversity in education, yet the change in the policy works against creating this diversity in higher education. The full effects of the court ruling are unclear, as affirmative action was only removed a short year ago. Neal believes it’s too soon to gauge the full picture.
“The conclusions that can be drawn from one year of data are necessarily limited. We continue to believe that a student body composed of persons with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences is a vital component of legal education. Harvard Law School remains committed both to following the law and to fostering an on-campus community and a legal profession that reflects numerous dimensions of human experience.”
Harvard Law is not the only institution seeing low entrance numbers for Black students. Sep. 5, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported on the decline of Black enrollees at other Predominantly White Institutions (PWI.)
Amherst College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Washington University in St. Louis have all reportedly dropped in Black enrollment.
Danielle Holley, president of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, said removing racial data hampered the college’s ability to reach multiple demographics. Therefore, the college had to take alternative measures to find eligible, diverse candidates.
“That demographic information that used to be readily available for a student’s file is now masked.”
Holley and the college’s leadership are now leaning in on other avenues to help guide the admissions process.
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