Letters: Why affirmative action is fair
Re “Real diversity is colorblind,” Opinion, Feb. 7
Jennifer Gratz presents the phony argument that not giving additional credit to African American students applying for college is race-neutral. The argument would be valid only if American society in general were race-neutral, which it is not.
African Americans are much more likely than whites to live in districts with inferior K-12 schools; they are more likely to be at a disadvantage in being prepared to compete for a place in California’s selective universities.
Giving some credit to African American students for this reality is an attempt to level the playing field.
Al Barrett
Santa Monica
Giving college admission to the top percentage of high school graduates from any school is unfair.
Guaranteeing admission to every student who graduates in the top 10% or 20% of his or her class in the lowest-performing schools unfairly hurts the chances of candidates with higher academic achievement who fail to make the cut for their schools.
Stuart Shelby
Santa Monica
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