"What unique perspective does a minority student bring to a physics class?" That question was asked today by John Roberts, the Chief Justice of the United States. The court was re-considering the case of Abigail Fisher, a white woman who sued the University of Texas, Austin, for admitting black students while rejecting her. She said affirmative action was a form of racial discrimination. David Savage covers the court for the LA Times.
In California, considering race for public college admissions was banned when voters passed Proposition 209 in 1996. The percentage of African American students dropped by half the following year -- from 6% to 3%. Ten years later, it was 2%. We hear from African American students at UCLA, before and after Prop 209 went into effect.