The long-anticipated trial over Harvard University’s alleged anti-Asian admissions discrimination kicks off this week in a Boston courthouse.
In June, Breitbart News reported that Harvard University had been accused of perpetuating discriminatory admissions practices against Asian-American applicants. The discrimination took place via the admission’s “personality” evaluation. According to a review of internal Harvard documents, Asian-American students were given low “personality” evaluations, even if they hadn’t met with admissions officers. On Monday, the trial is finally set to begin.
Activist groups have lined up behind both sides of the legal battle. Some argue that the Ivy League university is systematically disadvantaging Asian candidates. “Harvard is systemically saying that Asian candidates are not likable and don’t have good personalities … which is nothing but racist,” argued Lee Cheng, a lawyer and secretary of the Asian American Legal Foundation, an activist group that supports the lawsuit.
“The people who are harmed who are the basis for this group to file this lawsuit are concerned that they will be discriminated against in graduate school admissions as well as in job applications,” Cheng added. “Their existence is real. If they weren’t real, this lawsuit couldn’t move forward.”
Others, still, believe that race-conscious admissions decisions are important, even if it means injustice for certain Asian-American applicants. On Sunday, protesters gathered in Boston. A group of Chinese-Americans students who support race-based decisions in admissions offices stood with signs that read “Don’t Use Asians for Your Hidden Agenda.”
Recently installed Harvard President Larry Bacow argued that Harvard treats Asian-American applicants fairly. He noted that the incoming freshman class is 23 percent Asian. “Nobody wants to be judged on their numbers alone,” Harvard President Larry Bacow at a recent speaking engagement. “People understand and recognize that we learn from our differences, that creating a diverse learning environment enriches the learning experience for every student on campus.”
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for coverage on the trial as it moves forward.
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