Ford Responds to Supreme Court Ruling, House Appropriations–Higher Education Committee to Convene

CHICAGO – Following today’s Supreme Court decision regarding race-based affirmative action in college admissions, state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, has scheduled a House hearing in July to discuss the impact and actions the state can take moving forward.  

“Today’s decision is going to hurt communities, limit opportunity and prevent people from pursuing the life they deserve,” Ford said. “As chairperson of the House Appropriations–Higher Education Committee, we will soon convene to get a better understanding of how this will impact residents in Illinois, and how our state universities will respond.”

The House Appropriations–Higher Education Committee is scheduled to meet virtually on Thursday, July 27 at 9 a.m. The hearing will be livestreamed online at ilga.gov.

Thursday’s decision overturned long-standing precedent that has helped Black and Latino students in higher education, with the court’s conservative majority ruling that admission programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection Clause.

“The high court’s decision is a disappointment and could have an immediate impact on diversity in colleges and universities across Illinois,” Ford said. “We must move forward by preparing students early academically for college acceptance. That means training them to be college ready by preparing for college entry tests and the application process. I’m proud that Illinois is the first state in the nation that will provide free test prep at our public universities and community colleges, helping students overcome barriers of college enrollment.”

For more information, please contact RepFord@LaShawnFord.com