Henry Street Settlement Statement on Supreme Court Rulings
By Henry Street Settlement
On June 30, 2023, President & CEO David Garza shared the following thoughts with Henry Street team members regarding the recent series of Supreme Court decisions.
We at Henry Street Settlement are deeply disappointed with yesterday’s Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action. The decision disregards the ongoing systemic barriers to education and opportunity that continue to face Black Americans and other people of color—obstacles of which affirmative action is just one component in overcoming. By setting a precedent of “colorblindness” that ignores privileged admissions processes like legacy admissions, it fails to acknowledge how far we still must come to achieve true racial justice.
Henry Street works to help community members navigate the stubbornly lingering effects of racist oppression through college access, employment services, mental health programming, and arts-accessibility programming, to name just a few of the areas in which racism continues to place barriers in the way of human progress. We are committed to working with our community partners to fight policies that disproportionately impact people of color. We aspire not to let such rulings divide or isolate us from one another, but rather bring us together in community.
We further condemn today’s court ruling in 303 Creative v. Elenis allowing discrimination based on sexual orientation. On the last day of Pride, the Settlement holds firm that no one should be denied access to services based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Taking care of each other starts with protecting each other’s fundamental human rights.
