In Cherly Harris’s publication “Whiteness as Property,” she creates this concept to explain how whiteness is a metaphysical piece of property that grants white people rights based solely off of the color of their skin. This term can be applied to both historical cases such as Plesy v Ferguson and Brown v the Board of Education as well as in modern day settings with regards to affirmative action.
The ideas mentioned in why the right side is against affirmative action, specifically the concept of innocent whites, reminded me of the concept of the settler moves to innocence discussed in Tuck and Yang’s “Decolonization is not a metaphor.” Although colonization and slavery, as well as the systemic racism aftermath of slavery, are not the same, the second text’s idea of conscientization comes to mind. Specifically on page 1767, Harris argues that white people acknowledge the wrongdoings of their ancestors but their refusal of affirmative action to undo system racism and the equal access of opportunities, especially education. This is similar to how white people refuse to give back indigenous people’s lands and feel that other initiatives and acknowledging the past are equivalent to decolonization.
With the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action in college admissions, schools are finding other ways to still admit a diverse class. One way is by “…push[ing] colleges to admit more transfer students from community college, which admit higher numbers of Black and Latino students” (Binkley). Although what the court declared is definitive, each school can choose to use their own interpretations to uphold their own values. This reminds me of the Plessy v Ferguson case with the court’s ambiguity of what blood quantum is needed to categorize a person of mixed descent into either category, instead delegating this topic to each state’s own opinion. Many other cases and mentions in the readings thus far show how the ambiguous law filled with exceptions help cater to the needs of white people and defend their property. This way of the law being obeyed but still trying to undo the systemic racism is a small win in the scheme of things when obeisance of these laws usually benefit white people but are here used to support black people.
Binkley, C. (2023, October 16). Colleges should step up diversity efforts after affirmative action ruling, the government says. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/affirmative-action-college-admissions-supreme-court-7630219eaf624bec19bc2e0d2f56c0c7?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Wood, S. (n.d.). What the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ban means for college admissions | applying to college | U.S. news. What the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ban Means for College Admissions. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/applying/articles/how-does-affirmative-action-affect-college-admissions
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