1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions—calling efforts to address centuries of discrimination “unconstitutional.” That’s not justice. That’s nonsense wrapped in legal jargon. And if we don’t act now, that same ruling will be used to gut every DEI initiative in the country. Discrimination didn’t vanish because the Civil Rights Act passed. People still don’t start at the same line. A white man and a Black man applying for the same job may be “equal” under the law, but only one had the benefit of generational wealth, stable housing, and a head start built on a history of exclusion. Equality without context is just a lie we tell to stay comfortable. Opponents of DEI scream about “reverse discrimination”—as if recognizing systemic inequality is somehow unfair. But fairness isn’t giving everyone the same thing. Fairness is giving people what they need to succeed. That’s what equity is. You wouldn’t fail a kid in a wheelchair for not running laps in gym class. That’s “equal,” sure—but it’s not right. We need more than shallow equality. We need a constitutional amendment that explicitly protects equity—so the law can finally acknowledge the reality of unequal starting points and allow real solutions, not watered-down compromises. If we don’t fight for this now, legal challenges will keep spreading like a virus, knocking down every DEI program in sight. Courts use precedent, and the precedent has been set. Time to push back.