Excerpt

First-of-its-kind Football Partnership Helps to Move Us Forward After Affirmative Action

By Dale G. Caldwell

Earlier this summer, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. Almost immediately, people began pointing to other programs like legacy admissions, targeted scholarships, and athletics that could provide an unfair advantage in the admissions process. While some of this is justified, the reality remains that racial disparities in higher education exist — and it’s in everybody’s best interest to knock down those barriers.

Here’s why: According to a study by the American Action Forum, a 1% increase in the number of adults with bachelor’s degrees translates into a 0.08% increase in real gross domestic product. To put it more simply: If every state raised the number of bachelor’s degrees earned by just 1 percent, the United States would see a $103.5 billion increase in GDP.

Yet, students of color still face significant hurdles when it comes to college equity. The Lumina Foundation recently reported that Black students cite cost, a lack of extracurricular support, and racial discrimination as barriers to degree attainment. In fact, only 34% of Black Americans have an associate degree or higher — compared to 46% of the general population.