[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 118 (Tuesday, July 11, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H3194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ENDING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS MEAN-SPIRITED

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
the Congressional Black Caucus, and I will continue to work with them 
and proceed to analyze the very wrongheaded decision that was made by 
the United States Supreme Court on the question of affirmative action.
  I thank the gentlewoman from Florida, the gentleman from New York, 
and, certainly, the gentleman from Nevada for their leadership.
  I rise today as a clear recipient of affirmative action, particularly 
in higher education. I may have been admitted on affirmative action, 
both in terms of being a woman and a woman of color, but I can declare 
that I did not graduate on affirmative action. This is my personal 
story, but as I read the Supreme Court opinion led by Justice Roberts 
and a number of Justices reading their opinion aloud, they really 
skewed and misdirected what affirmative action is.
  Affirmative action is affirmatively selecting out of the group 
excellent persons who happen to be people of color who would not have 
been noted, recognized, or accepted heretofore, and that is evident 
because that did not happen in the 20th century, in the 19th century, 
when African Americans, in particular, were not admitted to 
institutions of higher learning such as Ivy League and other schools.
  This very mean-spirited decision will close the door of opportunity 
to many, from Latinos to Asians to African Americans to Anglos.
  My plea tonight is that this Congress looks squarely at ensuring that 
America and her cities are open to equal opportunity and that, 
affirmatively, we ensure that everyone has a seat at the table of 
empowerment.

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