On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy gave a televised speech that contained the following line: “Next week I shall ask the Congress of the United States to act, to make a commitment it has not fully made in this century to the proposition that race has no place in American life or law.”

Kennedy was speaking in response to Alabama Governor George Wallace’s defiance of the order of the United States District Court of the Northern District of Alabama to admit Black students to the University of Alabama. Wallace famously vowed to “stand in the schoolhouse door” and did so until Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard. Wallace then relented and stepped aside, thereby allowing two Black students to register for classes.

What is less known and far less publicized is JFK’s opposition to racial preferences, despite the fact that he coined the term “affirmative action” in Executive Order 10925. In fact, he specifically ruled out using race in hiring decisions. One could infer that he would also extend a preference ban to college admissions as well.

This brings us to today’s oral argument before the Supreme Court (October 31) in the Harvard and University of North Carolina cases, both brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a group created by conservative activist Edward Blum. Blum has long opposed racial-preference affirmative action in college admissions and has brought several cases to the Supreme Court challenging the practice. Blum is not a lawyer, but he has assembled a formidable legal team that has been highly effective over the last two decades.

Image: Anti-affirmative action protest by Majxuh. CC BY-SA 4.0.

It’s fitting that the Court hears these cases on Halloween because Affirmative Action has been a trick on the American public masquerading as a treat. Though it was touted as a practice that would benefit disadvantaged minorities, it has mostly benefitted well-off Blacks, other people of color, and upper socio-economic class women.

In 2012 Richard Kahlenberg wrote in the Washington Post,

The dirty little secret of higher education, however, is that selective universities are more interested in admitting fairly affluent students of all colors than in promoting social mobility. In 2004, rich kids were found to outnumber poor kids on selective campuses by 25 to 1; on highly selective campuses, 86 percent of African American students are middle or upper class…

Perhaps college administrators and employers should try evaluating individuals based on the skills and credentials they bring to the table, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, or any other trait outside of a person’s control.

Keep in mind that, before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, discriminatory practices were largely allowed. After 1964, our government officially encouraged a new form of discrimination: race-based preferences, also known as “affirmative action,” “diversity initiatives,” and several other euphemisms.

I suspect that JFK, had he lived, would never have allowed these divisive preferences. We have Lyndon Johnson to thank for embracing this can of worms. It is well past time for these discriminatory preference practices to end, and the conservative majority on SCOTUS is apparently poised to do just that.

Michael A. Bertolone, MS is a freelance writer on workplace issues. His other articles can be found at American Thinker and Substack.