ban. “They’re saying we want an optimistic era in which the color of your skin doesn’t matter when you’re dealing with the government. Now, you’re going to be judged by [who] you are and your merit.”
The MCRI was formed in 2003 after the Supreme Court upheld the right of universities to consider race in admissions practices as a means of creating a diverse student body. The case involved a lawsuit against the University of Michigan that was initiated by Jennifer Gratz, a white woman who charged that the school’s application process was discriminatory. Although the ruling allowed the consideration of race in admissions, the high court struck down a point system used by the school to admit undergraduates. The decision amounted to a partial victory for Gratz, who serves as MCRI’s executive director.
Affirmative action proponents have already challenged the ban as unlawful and say they will do so in other states that may consider a similar ban in the future. University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman says she plans to take up the legal fight against the law’s passage and will press the courts to allow the school to continue using its diversity — focused admissions program.