"Discrimination"

 

Photo: “Clover,” the cat who was invited for dinner.

 

On Saturday I expect to send you my tribute to our nation’s 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Thought of the Day

“Discrimination”

May 6, 2026

 

“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race

is to stop discriminating on the basis of race”

                                                                      John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court

                                                                      Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No.1

                                                                       June 28, 2007

 

The 6-3 Supreme Court decision on April 29 in Louisiana v. Callais prompted Reuters reporter John Kruzel to write: “In a 6-3 ​ruling on Wednesday, powered by its conservative justices, the court gutted what scholars said was the last remaining pillar of the landmark law (The Voting Rights Act of 1965) enacted after the ‘Bloody Sunday’ march in Selma, Alabama with the aim of ‌preventing racial discrimination in voting.” 

 

Similar allegations were made by reporters for Politico, the Washington Post and the New York Times. While I am not a lawyer, I believe these reporters could not be more wrong. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) was implemented to ensure that no obstacles could be imposed to restrict the right of anyone qualified to vote. The Court ruling said that districts could not be drawn on the basis of race. The VRA does not ensure proportional representation by race. The decision said simply that race-based congressional districts are unconstitutional, something one would have thought would have been agreeable to anyone who disapproves of discrimination. The decision upheld the XV Amendment that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

 

The Constitution mandates that a census take place every ten years for the purpose of apportioning congressional representation. The next one will take place in 2030. Per the 2020 Census, Texas gained two seats, and one each were gained by Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon. California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia each lost a seat. Reapportionment requires re-districting. But the problem relates to racial gerrymandering, which is prohibited under the Voting Rights Act. Political (read partisan) gerrymandering is apparently legal and does take place. It gives the majority party an advantage. The practice dates back to the early 19^th Century.

 

Discrimination is ubiquitous. In the pursuit of racial, gender, and religious diversity, colleges, universities and employers have justified discrimination over meritocracy by claiming that for too long women and minorities had been denied education and job opportunities. There is no question that was once true. But the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed the law. Having grown up in a small, homogenous New England town and then having spent my working career in New York City, I appreciate the value diversity brings to one’s life. But today’s Progressives are battling a war that was won sixty-years ago. Roles have switched. Today, discriminating against meritocracy and excellence is unfair and just plain wrong.

 

It is in our public schools, especially those in inner cities, where discrimination has also festered. Like most people, I believe everyone should be given an equal opportunity to succeed, even while recognizing that some children have an edge – the wealthy have more choices in terms of where to live and where to educate their children. Life is never completely fair, which is why government can and should ensure that all children have access to the best public-school education possible. That should include options: charter schools, Catholic schools and private schools. Competition, including among schools, is fundamental to the success of our capitalist/democratic society. It provides better quality, better pricing, and better outcomes. 

 

Yet the people who call for more diversity in colleges and the workplace are the same ones who deny lower-and middle-income parents’ choice when it comes to education. This is especially true in ‘Blue’ states and large inner cities where the political influence of two major teachers’ unions, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), exceeds that of parents and their school-age children. One consequence has been declining scores in reading and math. According to Education Week, 40% of fourth-graders and 33% of eighth-graders perform below the “basic” level in reading. Only a third of fourth and eighth-graders perform as “proficient” or “advanced” in math. The biggest declines in both reading and math have been for those in the lowest decile. According to the National Literacy Institute, 70% of low-income fourth-graders read below the “basic” level. Those most discriminated against are minorities.

 

Democracy, unrestrained, offers the opportunity to rise (and fall) economically and socially. Discrimination works to maintain the status quo – the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. A unique quality of the American experience has been the ability for people, born in poverty, to rise due to aspiration, intelligence, focus and diligence. We all have individual tastes and preferences, but state-sanctioned discrimination, whether in the voting booth, colleges, businesses, or in denying school choice is destructive to individual freedom.