The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) Statement of Support of Race-Conscious Admissions

TAAF supports race-conscious admissions aimed at cultivating diverse student bodies and dismantling structural inequities in education. Inclusive education requires that all the places where learning happens are as diverse as the world students will enter. To truly root out discrimination and hate in this country, our academic institutions must represent different races and ethnicities in addition to offering curricula that explore the histories and lived experiences of communities that have often gone untold.

We stand with those from underrepresented groups that face systemic barriers to equitable access to education and believe race-conscious admissions have and can continue to help close those gaps. While higher education has been accessible by some members of the Asian American community, not all AAPI have been afforded the same inclusion. The model minority myth perpetuates the harmful misperception that all AAPI are high-achieving in spaces like education — leaving certain AAPI groups out of the affirmative action conversation and driving a wedge between AAPIs and other communities of color.

While TAAF supports race-conscious admissions, unfair practices where a discriminatory lens targets Asian Americans and/or other underrepresented communities will not be tolerated. We believe school administrators need to address other inequities in the current admissions process that disadvantage AAPIs and other students of color.

A holistic consideration of each applicant, with race as one factor among many, is essential to removing barriers within our education system and can ultimately bring us closer to a society where equal opportunity and prosperity are within reach for all.

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