Race Should Not Count

Today's Tennessean editorial unfortunately reveals the continuing attachment of some on the left in advocating racial discrimination. The editorial goes claims that schools "need" a way "to see that schools reflect the diversity in the city, not just in the immediate neighborhood."

Need? Of all of the needs of city school systems, that would not be at the top of my list. And, why stop at the city level? Perhaps we should make sure that every school reflects the diversity of the country? Or, if diversity is the ultimate academic goal, why stop at the nation's borders? We could be sure to fly in a few students from Mongolia to make sure that we get the requisite number to reflect the world population.

The beginning point of the editorial is that a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court case involving the University of Michigan law school proved that "race matters." Yes, and that opinion, written by Justice O'Connor, looks no better today than it did three years ago. In fact, for both constitutional and social reasons, race should matter less. The Tennessean would have us believe that applicants to attend a school should put their race on an application so that the school can get the requisite number of each. In fact, applications should not include race at all. If those making choices don't know the race of the students, one won't know until they show up what number of them are of what ethnicity. It should not matter.