The New York Times reported on the 16th (local time) that the number of black and Hispanic freshmen has more than halved at Harvard Law School, which received its first students after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against considering minorities in college admissions.
According to the American Bar Association (ABA), Harvard Law School had 19 students or 3.4 percent of all freshmen this year, the lowest number since the 1960s. Harvard University had 15 students in 1965, when it first received students, and since 1970, it has been around 50 to 70 students every year.
Among prestigious universities, Harvard Law School has seen a significant decline in the number of new black students. At Harvard Law School, which produced a large number of famous black figures including former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Supreme Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, the number of new black students has declined significantly.
Harvard Law School professor David Wilkins said in a Supreme Court ruling that Harvard University’s citation in the case was behind the decline in black freshmen.
Among Harvard law students, the number of Hispanic students dropped sharply from 63 last year to 39.
According to the Lawyers Association, the number of new black and Hispanic students at other major law schools has not decreased significantly, and some of them have increased. Stanford Law School has increased the number of new black students from 12 last year to 23 this year.
Along with Harvard, North Carolina Law School, which was cited in the Supreme Court ruling, also saw a significant decrease in the number of black and Hispanic freshmen. Harvard University saw an 8 percent decrease in the number of freshmen of color compared to last year.
In the case of Harvard University, the proportion of black freshmen in academic programs also decreased from 18% last year to 14%.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
