Perspectives on Affirmative Action / Rethinking Racial Divides: Asian Pacific Americans and the Law

For more than 20 years, the issue of affirmative action has spawned major legal and political battles. On October 14, 1997, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor found itself on the front lines of those battles when the Center for Individual Rights (CIR) filed suit in federal court on behalf of several White students who failed to get into the undergraduate college.' In their complaint, the plaintiffs charge the University with unconstitutional discrimination on the basis of race, claiming that they were not admitted as result of the race-conscious admissions policy maintained by the school.' On December 3, 1997 CIR filed another action against the University of Michigan Law School on behalf of a White woman who had similarly not been admitted to the Law School.3 The advent of these lawsuits sparked a range of responses among members of the University of Michigan community. Law students debated the issue, developed statements, and held press conferences. Additionally, students brought in speakers and panels to discuss, debate and explore affirmative action and related issues. This report compiles the statements on affirmative action followed by the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association Symposium.