RULING HAS RENEWED THE DEBATE

OVER ANOTHER ADMISSIONS

PRACTICE, LEGACY ADMISSIONS.

UNIVERSITIES GIVE PREFERENCE TO

CHILDREN OF GRADUATES WHEN

DECIDING WHO TO ACCEPT.

THEY FILED A COMPLAINT AFTER THE

COURT RULING ALLEGING THAT

HARVARD'S LEGACY AND DONOR BASED

ADMISSIONS SYSTEM VIOLATES

FEDERAL LAW BY FAVORING WHITE

REGIONS.

THE NAACP IS CALLING ON 1600

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO END LEGACY

ADMISSIONS ALTOGETHER.

JOINING US NOW IS THE PRESIDENT

AND CEO OF THE NAACP, DERRICK

JOHNSON.

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS ARE

PUTTING THEIR FOCUS ON LEGACY

ADMISSIONS AFTER THE SUPREME

COURT BANNED THE USE OF RACE

CONSCIOUS ADMISSIONS PRACTICES.

DERRICK: I WANT TO MAKE SURE

STUDENTS HAVE FAIR ACCESS TO

HIGHER EDUCATION AND TO

OPPORTUNITIES.

IF THE PROGRAM TO REPAIR THE

HARM THAT WAS DONE BY

INSTITUTIONS IN THIS GOVERNMENT

FOR CENTURIES CAUGHT AFFIRMATIVE

ACTION HAS COME UNDER ATTACK FOR

BEING ABOLISHED -- WE NEED TO DO

AWAY WITH ALL PREFERENTIAL

PROGRAMS SUCH AS LEGACY

PROGRAMS.

IT WAS REPORTED THAT HARVARD,

FOR EXAMPLE, 43% OF WHITE

STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE SOME

TYPE OF LEGACY AMENDMENTS.

THAT'S NOT FAIR TO THE REST OF

THE POPULATION WHO WANT TO MAKE

SURE THERE IS EQUITY IN THIS

PROCESS.

GEOFF: ON THAT POINT, COLLEGE

PRESIDENTS HAVE SAID THE

PRACTICE HELPED BUILD SPECIAL

CONNECTIONS WITH FAMILIES AND

DONORS, SOME THAT EXTEND FOR

GENERATIONS.

IT IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR

FUNDRAISING AND AS ENROLLMENT

HAS BECOME MORE DIVERSE, THERE

ARE BLACK FAMILIES THAT BENEFIT

FROM LEGACY ADMISSIONS.

HOW DO YOU SEE IT?

DERRICK: THOUGHT THAT THE

PROGRAM TO ADDRESS THE SYSTEMIC

ISSUES OF RACISM CALLED

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION WAS A GOOD

STEP IN THE RIGHT WAY.

WE THOUGHT IT ALLOWED FOR A MORE

DIVERSE STUDENT BODY, THAT IT

ALLOWED INDIVIDUALS WHO

OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE THAT

OPPORTUNITY TO SIT IN

PROCEDURES INSTITUTIONS BECAUSE

THEY WERE QUALIFIED AND NOT

BARRED FROM ATTENDING AS A

RESULT OF THEIR FAMILY

GENEALOGY.

SO HERE WE ARE AT THIS IMPASSE

WHERE WE ARE GOING TO SAY THAT

ALL STUDENTS ARE ADMITTED BASED

ON QUALIFICATION, LET THAT BE

THE CASE AND LET'S NOT LET ANY

PROGRAM GIVE ONE COMMUNITY A LEG

UP OVER ANOTHER COMMUNITY.

GEOFF: THE NAACP IS CALLING ON

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO

ADOPT THIS DIVERSITY NO MATTER

WHAT PLEDGE.

OTHER THAN ENDING LEGACY

ADMISSIONS, WHAT ELSE DO YOU

WANT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

TO DO?

DERRICK: HOW AN INDIVIDUAL BASED

ON THEIR ZIP CODE SHOULD NOT BE

A CONDEMNATION OF THEIR FUTURE.

FAR TOO MANY KIDS, BLACK, WHITE,

AND OTHERS, GROW UP IN

COMMUNITIES WHERE THE RESOURCES

ARE LACKING, THE TAX BASE IS NOT

STRONG, THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

IS LESS THAN DESIRABLE, AND AS A

RESULT, THEY ARE FINDING

THEMSELVES IN THE MIDST OF BEING

ABLE TO COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST

LEVEL.

THERE SHOULD BE A STANDARD TO

ADMIT THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND WE

SHOULD ALSO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE

DON'T WANT PREFERENTIAL

TREATMENTS THAT PREFERENTIAL

TREATMENT ISN'T PROVIDED TO

ANYBODY OR WE AT LEAST NEED TO

ACCOUNT FOR INTENTIONAL ACTS OF

HIS TERMINATION IN A WAY IN

WHICH WE CAN REPAIR PASTIMES.

GEOFF: AFTER THE COURT RULING,

PRESIDENT BIDEN ASKED THE

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO STUDY

WHAT PRACTICES HELP BUILD A MORE

INCLUSIVE STUDENT BODY AND WHAT

PRACTICES STAND IN THE WAY OF

THAT.

DO YOU EXPECT THE WHITE HOUSE TO

GET INVOLVED IN A SIGNIFICANT

WAY HERE?

DERRICK: I WOULD HOPE THEY WOULD

GET INVOLVED, BUT LET'S BE

CLEAR, WE HAVE A SUPREME COURT

THAT IS NOW A ROGUE SUPREME

COURT, ONE OF THE MOST CORRUPT

SUPREME COURT'S WE HAVE HAD IN

THE HISTORY OF THE COURT.

WE HAVE A TENDENCY OF

CONSERVATIVES SEEKING WAYS TO

UNDERMINE THE GAINS THAT WERE

MADE OVER THE LAST 60 YEARS, AND

THERE IS A CLEAR EFFORT TO

ENSURE A PERMANENT UNDERCLASS

AND TO MAINTAIN THE SYSTEM OF

WHITE SUPER MESSY.

THAT IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE

TALKING ABOUT.

THAT IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE

ADDRESSED AND THAT'S IN THE BEST

INTERESTS OF THIS NATION.

GEOFF: WHAT ROLE DOES THE NAACP

HAVE IN HELPING BLACK YOUTH GET

READY, ESPECIALLY WITH MORE THAN

EMPHASIS PLACED ON COLLEGE

ADMISSIONS ESSAYS?

THE NAACP HAS A RICH HISTORY OF

BEING ACTIVE IN COMMUNITIES

AROUND MATTERS OF CIVIL-RIGHTS,

ON THIS ISSUE IN PARTICULAR,

BEYOND RAISING AWARENESS, HOW

CAN THE GROUP GET PROACTIVELY

INVOLVED?

DERRICK: WE ARE PROACTIVELY

INVOLVED.

WE ARE AN ADVOCACY GROUP, NOT A

SERVICE PROVIDER.

OUR JOB IS TO IMPACT THE

FORMATION OF PUBLIC AND

CORPORATE POLICIES OR WE DO SO

BY ADVOCATING FOR LEGISLATION,

BY FILING LAWSUITS, AND BY

EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY ON THEIR

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS

FULL CITIZENS.

WE INVITE OTHERS TO JOIN US TO

DO THAT.

IF PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY, IT'S

IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SOUP

KITCHEN.

WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE POLICIES

THAT ADDRESS THE HUNGER.

GEOFF: DERRICK JOHNSON IS THE

PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE

NAACP.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHTS.

DERRICK: THANK YOU FOR THE

OPPORTUNITY.