Rev. Bev Spears of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Rosa and member of NBOP's Religious Leaders Caucus offers a reflection on the latest Supreme Court's decisions.
Given the times in which we live, the Supreme Court’s recent decisions from the latest blow to LGBTQ+ rights and the ruling that bans colleges and universities from considering race as a factor in admissions are massive setbacks, and they were inevitable.
Affirmative Action laws and policies were meant to atone for hundreds of years of racialized socioeconomic oppression.
As a young adult Black woman, I came of age riding a wave of affirmative action opportunities that never would have been afforded my parents, but believe me, I was never handed anything! The truth is that in order for me as a Black person to survive, let alone thrive from college on into my careers, I had to work three times harder and be three times as good as co-workers and colleagues. The unspoken white dominant culture’s mantra was, “We may have to let you in the door, but we’ll be damned if you’re going to survive.”
That’s the ultimate message now coming from the Court. We have about 5 minutes to stop and lick our wounds, and then we go back to work.
We can’t just work for justice; we have to be willing to do what it takes to maintain justice once it comes.