(Washington, DC) Congresswoman Corrine Brown made the following statement:

"Today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the University of Michigan's admissions policies is a great victory for our nation. I wholeheartedly believe that diversity in our institutions of higher education is a compelling state interest.

Everyone in this nation deserves to have access to a higher education, and I have always been a strong proponent of programs that grant all students with an opportunity to succeed.
I certainly hope, as enunciated in the decision, that in twenty-five years affirmative action may no longer be needed to redress the scourge of discrimination, yet I am also hopeful that from this day on we can work together, as one nation, toward eliminating those barriers that prevent a level playing field for all Americans. This is certainly a historic decision, and I am pleased to see the Supreme court rejected arguments that would have turned back the clock on civil rights by 50 years.

Although I am somewhat disappointed that Michigan's undergraduate policy was not upheld entirely, and that the justices struck down the point system in which applications were rated on various factors, including race, I believe that in the end that decision will not prove to be a serious impediment to the effective implementation of a race-sensitive program to achieve diversity.

In fact, the Court has made it clear that diversity and excellence are not mutually exclusive. Affirmative action is a critical tool that can help universities achieve a student body that is diverse, racially integrated, capable, and multi-talented. Back in March, the Congressional Black Caucus and myself, as well as hundreds of other organizations, corporations, universities, retired military officers and individuals filed amici curiae briefs in strong support of the University of Michigan.

To conclude, I am thrilled to see that the Supreme Court supported the view that our government has “a compelling interest in promoting diversity in education.” Indeed, in the words of Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, ‘effective participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups in the civic life of our nation is essential if the dream of one nation, indivisible, is to be realized.’”