Is the "Spirit" of Affirmative Action Dead?

with John McWhorter and Tyler Austin Harper

One of the most dispiriting findings in the Students for Fair Admissions cases was the extent to which race-based affirmative action ended up helping the children of wealthy parents and harming the children of poor and working-class parents. As Tyler Austin Harper explains in this clip, this is a violation of the original spirit of affirmative action, and it’s a sign of how far it’s gone off the rails. Is it possible to implement a fairer version of affirmative action without jettisoning race from the process entirely? We debate the question.

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