Sally C.
Solidarity
Resistance
There are complex and diverse stories within Asian America that need to be told, and they cannot be separated from the impacts of racism in this country. This was the perspective I drew from when I wrote my personal statement essay in my Harvard application and when I later took the witness stand in Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard to defend race conscious admissions policies.
For over five years, I was an organizer and advocate for affirmative action in this case that went to the Supreme Court in 2023. I can list all the reasons why race conscious policies like affirmative action are important from employment to education to contracting – the policy’s history in the Civil Rights movement, the ongoing need to address systemic racism, the role of fostering diversity in our society, and so much more. But when I think about why I got involved as a student years ago, the reasons are much more personal. I chose to be in solidarity with other students of color and take pride in my Asian American identity, to ultimately take a stand against the white supremacists trying to divide us.
