OPPORTUNITY

Why Are White People Waging a War on Diversity Scholarships

Some believe these programs are discriminatory

In reflection, the conservative-led legal attack on affirmative action policies on college campuses was a Trojan horse. What seemed inconsequential to some set a legal precedent, opening the door for a broader ambush on diversity-oriented programs designed to mitigate racial disparities. In the days after the Supreme Court’s decision, some dismissed the attack by pointing out that White women were the group who benefited the most from these policies. Yet, their critique ignored the fact that their decision only banned race-based affirmative action policies, leaving gender-based affirmative action policies White women benefited from intact. Secondly, some argued that since these policies were scarcely implemented, banning them would not have a widespread impact. They were coincidently ignoring case studies that show that diversity on college campuses has decreased following affirmative action bans. Now that conservatives have set a legal precedent for banning the use of race in college admissions decisions, they’ve clarified if their decision extends to financial assistance.

For instance, we’re now witnessing a concerted effort to eradicate diversity scholarships, which are designed to provide financial assistance for Black and otherwise underrepresented students. As Sonel Cutler and Alecia Taylor wrote in The Chronicle of Higher Education, “For many colleges, awarding scholarships designed for students from underrepresented racial backgrounds is one prong of a larger strategy to try to diversity their campuses.” Since many colleges depend upon diversity scholarships to mitigate racial disparities in academic admissions, banning these programs could be a fatal blow to fostering diversity in higher education. Businesses want to hire qualified people, often who receive a degree from a college or university. So when opportunities are unfairly extended at the college level, it limits their career prospects, thereby maintaining unjust conditions.

Is it unfair to offer diversity scholarships to students or interns belonging to underrepresented groups? Perhaps out of context, you would reject any effort to extend extra help to any group in particular. But, in a society where Black students are unfairly deprived of opportunities, diversity scholarships are like a helpful tonic, a way of mitigating an unjust system. Recent attacks on affirmative action programs have left a cloud of uncertainty regarding the future of diversity programs and scholarships. The irony shouldn’t be on us that White students are “40% more likely to win private scholarships than minorities. In fact, minorities receive only about 28% of all scholarships.” So, the notion that Black people are the core recipients of race-based scholarships has never been true.

Some scholarships are made available to Black students. For instance, the Goldman Sachs Scholarship for Excellence provides $15,000 toward tuition and academic expenses, along with a paid summer internship, as a part of their diversity recruitment efforts. The Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship awards up to $28,000 over the course of four years for African American students with strong leadership potential to attend an accredited 4-year university. However, it’s important to note that there is a multitude of scholarships for underrepresented and marginalized groups. For instance, some scholarships are made available to students who exhibit academic rigor and those who have socioeconomic status or athletic abilities. Somehow, the only type of scholarship that attracts so much negative attention is one that is designed to foster racial diversity.

While the vast majority of Black students attend college without applying for a diversity scholarship, removing this strategy has a disarming effect. It’s an attempt to remove programs designed to close the racial admissions and retention gap. And it’s possible that conservatives will challenge the constitutionality of diversity scholarships in the future. After all, if the Supreme Court is willing to claim that race-based affirmative action programs are discriminatory, then how long until they’re the same thing about diversity scholarships, that providing financial assistance to Black students is discriminatory? Now that the Trojan horse is inside the gate, it's too late to see the warnings. Banning affirmative action policies has never been just about claiming that one policy was unfair, but to claim that any effort to mitigate racial disparities is unfair. Folks need to wake up. We have no choice but to defend diversity scholarships because if they’re they're to fall, schools won’t have the tools they need to mitigate racism applicants face.

As Liam Knox pointed out in Inside Higher Ed, “On June 29th, the same day the decisions came down, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey ordered all higher education institutions in the state to end all financial aid or scholarship programs that take race into account.” This case could set a precedent for other states to attack diversity scholarships using the same legal argument. While there is no legal certainty, that the Supreme Court would interpret diversity scholarships in the same light as they did affirmative action programs, this is concerning. As a result, some colleges and universities are applying a cautious approach moving forward, one that may lead to a decreased use of diversity-based scholarship programs.

There are some concrete steps that students, teachers, administrators, and concerned citizens can take to challenge conservative efforts. They can write to their representatives and let them know that they support the use of diversity scholarships to extend opportunities to Black students and other underrepresented minorities. Additionally, they can engage in community with those attempting to preserve these policies, attend school board meetings, and ensure their voice is heard on the topic. Lastly, they can play a role in educating the broader community about the potential impact of banning diversity scholarships. That doing so would decrease educational opportunities for Black students.

While some may have overlooked the importance, the ban on affirmative action policies was a Trojan horse, a way of injecting some harmful anti-diversity ideas into the legal apparatus. We see that now as diversity programs, and scholarships are now under fire. In conclusion, the conservative-led assault on affirmative action policies opened the gates for a broader attack on diversity initiatives, including diversity scholarships designed to support Black students. As the case in Missouri illustrates, this may set a dangerous precedent, undermining efforts to mitigate racial disparities in higher education and maintaining a system that places Black students at a perpetual disadvantage. We can’t take our eyes off the prize of crafting a more just society, even as attacks on diversity programs are intensifying. Only by remaining vigilant can we challenge a system that routinely deprives equal educational opportunities to Black students. Each of us has a role to play.

References

Cutler, S., & Taylor, A. (2024, March 18). Why scholarships for students of color are under attack. The Chronicle of Higher Education https://www.chronicle.com/article/why-scholarships-for-students-of-color-are-under-attack

Knox, L. (2023, June 17). What the Affirmative Action Decision Means Beyond Admissions. Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/traditional-age/2023/07/17/what-affirmative-action-decision-means-beyond-admissions#:~:text=On%20June%2029%2C%20the%20same,of%20Missouri%20system%20promptly%20complied.

Scholarship opportunities for minority students. Collage Stats. (2017, October 9). https://collegestats.org/resources/best-scholarships-minorities/#:~:text=Caucasian%20students%20are%2040%25%20more,about%2028%25%20of%20all%20scholarships.

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