Obama says affirmative action ‘allowed generations of students’ to ‘prove we belonged’

Former President Obama said affirmative action policies “allowed generations of students like Michelle [Obama] and me to prove we belonged,” after the Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the use of such policies at two universities.

“Like any policy, affirmative action wasn’t perfect. But it allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged. Now it’s up to all of us to give young people the opportunities they deserve — and help students everywhere benefit from new perspectives,” Obama said in a statement.

The high court on Thursday ruled against the use of affirmative action policies — in which an applicant’s race is taken into account in the admissions process — at both Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The decision was hailed by conservatives and slammed by Democrats. 

Former first lady Michelle Obama said in a separate statement that “my heart breaks for any young person out there who’s wondering what their future holds — and what kinds of chances will be open to them.”

“And while I know the strength and grit that lies inside kids who have always had to sweat a little more to climb the same ladders, I hope and I pray that the rest of us are willing to sweat a little, too,” she added. “Today is a reminder that we’ve got to do the work not just to enact policies that reflect our values of equity and fairness, but to truly make those values real in all of our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods.”

More on the Supreme Court’s ruling from The Hill

• Supreme Court upends affirmative action in college admissions
• READ: Supreme Court’s affirmative action majority opinion
• Sotomayor’s biting dissent: Ruling rolls back ‘decades of precedent and momentous progress’
• Obama says affirmative action ‘allowed generations of students’ to ‘prove we belonged’
• Trump praises SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action: ‘This is a great day for America’