Akonadi Foundation’s president Ray Colmenar joined the Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) and other Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander philanthropic leaders to reaffirm our commitment to racial solidarity and educational equity in the wake of the Supreme Court’s appalling decision to effectively ban race conscious admissions policies in higher education.
Underpinning the Court’s decision were two cases in which Asian Americans were used as a racialized wedge to roll back decades of progress and ignore the many racial disparities that exist today. Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) philanthropic leaders reject and resist attempts to use our communities against other communities of color.
The Court’s decision is a significant step backwards and leaves systems with fewer tools to address the real and significant racial inequities that harm Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other communities of color. While the legal and policy ramifications of the Court’s decision will take some time to unfold, the immediate consequence of this decision reinforces a race ignorant approach that pretends two centuries of discrimination and anti-Black racism have been suddenly resolved. We firmly believe that race and racial diversity still matter, and it is in our collective interest to join the fight to expand access to education.
While this decision is disheartening, Akonadi alongside AAPIP and AANHPI leaders in the philanthropic space remain committed to dismantling systemic barriers to educational equity and advancing a shared anti-racist agenda. Read the full statement and list of signatories that we are honored to work alongside. As demonstrated time and again, the work towards a more just democracy requires our full participation and we will use this moment to catalyze our communities forward.
