Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., in an op-ed for the New York Post called out President Joe Biden‘s failure to confront Asian discrimination at America’s Ivy League universities, even as he denounces recent attacks against Asian Americans.
Kennedy praised Biden for condemning the Atlanta massage-parlor attacks that left eight people dead, including six Asian women.
“Sadly, however, Biden’s rhetoric in defense of the Asian–American community isn’t matched by respect for their right to enjoy the fruit of their gifts and grit,” Kennedy wrote. “The Biden administration has shown, right out of the gate, a determination to stick its head in the sand, while America’s top universities actively discriminate against Asian Americans.”
Kennedy is referring to the Biden administration’s decision to terminate a Department of Justice investigation into anti-Asian discrimination at Yale University.
During President Donald Trump‘s administration, Asian–American advocacy organizations filed complaints with the DOJ and Department of Education alleging that Yale rejected well-qualified applicants because of their ethnicity.
Based on these complaints, Trump’s DOJ filed a lawsuit against Yale.
But as soon as Biden became president, he ordered the DOJ to cancel its lawsuit against Yale.
Asian–American groups have also accused Harvard University of bias in admissions.
“In 2014, Students for Fair Admissions sued Harvard, claiming the school was using an application system that reduces the number of Asian–American students through evaluations that are subjective and potentially racially biased,” Kennedy wrote.
When weighing an applicant for admission, Harvard University factors in “personal ratings,” such as humor, sensitivity and helpfulness, which can outweigh criteria like grades and test scores.
“The problem is that Harvard has consistently granted lower personal-rating scores to Asian Americans than it has to white students and those of other ethnic groups,” Kennedy wrote.
The judge in the case brought by Students for Fair Admissions found that the data demonstrated “a statistically significant and negative relationship between Asian–American identity and the personal rating assigned by Harvard admissions officers.”
Yet, both a district court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the plaintiff.
Kennedy said Biden should direct the DOJ to support the lawsuit against Harvard in its appeal to the Supreme Court.
“The new president should contend for the rights of Asian Americans to be treated fairly by America’s schools,” he wrote. “His Department of Justice should support, rather than ignore, their lawsuit against racial bias.”
