5 questions for: Elaine R. Jones: president, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund - Front Row - Interview

1 On a scale of Brown and Miranda, how important was the Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action? The Supreme Court's ruling upholding and, to a certain extent, embracing the core principle of whether race can be considered in higher education admission is among the most--if not the most--important decision to come out of the Court in 25 years. The last time the Court addressed the constitutionality of affirmative action in higher education was its 1978 decision, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. This provides a ringing affirmation, by the Court, of the importance of diversity. It is fitting that these decisions have come down on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education because both decisions have had, and continue to have, a major effect on educational opportunities for students of color ...

2 Is the battle over? Absolutely not. In this, the beginning of the 21st century, we've made progress but we have not yet arrived ... While the Michigan decisions are a huge victory for affirmative action, the Legal Defense Fund must do a lot of work to help institutions develop procedures on the appropriate use of race, to fend off new legal attacks by those adamantly opposed to diversity and to defeat public advocacy efforts which attempt to prevent any consideration of race. Also we must continue to struggle to enhance the quality of education in our elementary and secondary public schools ...

3 The decision endorsed the principle and skated over the details. What does the decision really mean? The Court issued two decisions: one upholding the race-conscious admissions policy at the University of Michigan Law School; the other striking down the particulars of the plan in place the University of Michigan's undergraduate institution. It is important to understand that even though the Court struck down the undergraduate policy, it upheld and, in fact, breathed new life into affirmative action in higher education. In this respect, the decision represents a definitive win for the advocates of diversity and affirmative action ...

4 What should the average student or parent do now? Students should study hard and make sure that they, and their parents, educate themselves about the college admissions system. It's no different from what I would have suggested before the Michigan decisions ...

5 Justice Clarence Thomas, who opposed the decision, has also opposed the legacy of Thurgood Marshall and the Defense Fund. Do you have a personal opinion you can share? I respectfully disagree with Justice Thomas' opinion, which I must say, was no surprise. He has as much right to be conservative in his views as anyone else on the Court ... To me, that simply underscores the significance, and importance, of diversity.

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