Professor Barry McDonald Interviewed on Supreme Court Affirmative Action Decision -- World Radio

Professor Barry P. McDonald is interviewed regarding the Supreme Court's recent affirmative action decision on the World Radio podcast. The report, titled "The World and Everything In It: July 4, 2023," considers the ruling against Harvard and University of North Carolina, and how it raises questions about education after affirmative action.

From "The World and Everything In It":

The battle of how to handle racial preferences in college admissions has been playing out in the courts for almost 50 years. McDonald says proponents of affirmative action argue that racial preferences have benign motives.

BARRY MCDONALD: They're not designed to put burdens on people. They're designed to rectify past wrongs.

UNC is the first public university in the nation. It was established in 1789. But it excluded black students until 1951. Harvard opened in 1636. It admitted black students starting in the mid-1800s, but only a few until the 1970s.

Those who oppose affirmative action say even with good intentions—

MCDONALD: They can have damaging consequences, like institutionalizing stereotypes that minorities can't succeed on their own, and breeding resentment by the majority white population. 

The complete report may be found at World Radio (Professor McDonald at 6:00)