NAACP Launches ‘Diversity No Matter What’ Pledge In Aftermath Of Supreme Court Ruling

The NAACP has launched its ‘Diversity No Matter What’ pledge in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions.

According to an NAACP release, the pledge is an effort to ensure institutions of higher education foster environments that mirror the nation’s diversity and increase the representation of historically underrepresented students.

“Let’s be clear—Black America is in a fight for our lives. The NAACP has been at the forefront of this battle for more than a century and we’re not backing down,” NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “It is our hope that our nation’s institutions will stand with us in embracing diversity, no matter what. Regardless, the NAACP will continue to advocate, litigate, and mobilize to ensure that every Black American has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.”

The NAACP’s Diversity No Matter What pledge calls on the nation’s more than 1,600 colleges and universities to commit to an outline of various steps they can take to create and sustain a culture of inclusion, belonging, and respect.

The steps include:

• Eliminating racially biased entrance examinations and adopting a holistic approach that considers every aspect of an applicant’s background, achievements, and potential.
• Supporting the matriculation and retention of low-income and first-generation students through outreach programs, scholarships, mentoring, and academic support services.
• Recruiting diverse faculty and staff who can serve as role models and mentors for our students while contributing to our curriculum and research.
• Creating a welcoming and supportive campus climate that values diversity, stands for equity, and advances inclusion in all aspects of academic and social life.
• Striving towards greater inclusivity by ending the utilization of legacy admissions which give an advantage to children and family members of institutional alumni or donors.
• Partnering with and supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, and other Minority Serving Institutions that have deeply rooted race-conscious missions.

The NAACP isn’t the only diversity group fighting back after the Supreme Court’s decision.

Lawyers for the Chica Project, the African Community Economic Development of New England, and the Greater Boston Latino Network have filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, alleging its students that receive preferential treatment are “overwhelmingly white” and make up as much as 15% of admitted students.