The Harvard Plan “The Universities Are The Enemy”
Dec 20, 2024
Randall Kennedy, a Harvard Law School professor and author, explores the complex history of race and affirmative action at Harvard. Claudine Gay, the former president, shares her personal story and reflects on her brief tenure. They discuss the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision ending race-based admissions and highlight the political pressures facing universities. The conversation also touches on alumni activism, the evolving definition of diversity, and the growing backlash against higher education.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Origin Story Framed Gay's Leadership
- Claudine Gay recounted her mother's journey from Haiti to the U.S., fleeing indentured servitude to seek education and opportunity.
- Gay used that story to frame resilience and the desire to start over when circumstances become intolerable.
Harvard Invented Modern 'Diversity' Admissions
- Harvard shifted admissions in the early 20th century to a ‘diversity strategy’ to become a national university and reduce urban ethnic concentrations like Jewish applicants.
- That admission architecture—interviews, character, national recruiting—became the template for modern selective admissions.
Powell Made 'Diversity' The Legal Rationale
- Justice Lewis Powell used Harvard's reasoning in Bakke to justify race-conscious admissions on the ground of educational diversity rather than remediation.
- That narrow Powell opinion became the legal foundation for decades of affirmative action practice.