Affirmative Action, Feminism, & Me

In 2003, I was in high school, when the Supreme Court decided Grutter v. Bollinger--a case discussing race as a factor in college admissions.  I remember being in my AP government class with a conservative, white, male teacher who didn’t hold back on how incorrect it was to take race into account. And so most students agreed with him. The class was small, maybe 12. I remember only one or two students, aside from me being in support of Affirmative Action.  I remember, a white girl next to me who made a crying sound, implying that students of color complaining about diversity were being whiny babies.  I was the only person of color in that class.

Fast-forward to college, someone presenting on Affirmative Action in a sociology course and the white girl sitting next to me adamant that Affirmative Action was racist, wrong, and unfair. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only person of color this time around, but I won’t forget that girl’s smug look that she was able to make it without help, so why couldn’t the rest of us?

What I wish I could tell those two white women then (and would happily tell them now) is how short-sided, oblivious, and selfish they were being; instead I wrote a piece for Chica, a new online magazine that “focuses on transforming the narrative in media for Latinxs to better reflect who we are.   We aim to break stereotypes of Latinxs and women of color by talking about the issues that matter most, and represent our true selves.”
The article discusses the possible end of affirmative action and the ramifications women of color suffer when feminism isn’t intersectional.  Please check it out–, though fair warning, it’s a little more political than what’s normally posted on here.

What’s your take on Fisher v. UT?