Ann Arbor - Gathered on the steps of the University of Michigan's Union, about 30 affirmative action supporters blasted a rousing chant of "Fight for Victory/Now BAMN is making history."
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right for colleges and universities across the nation to allow race to be a factor in deciding admissions. In a 5-4 decision Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in Grutter v. Bollinger to support the University of Michigan Law School's admissions policy, which evaluates all applicants on a case-by-case basis.
"It's a victory for all young people across this country from sea to shining sea," said Agnes Aleobua, an organizer for the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action & Integration and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN.
In Gratz v. Bollinger, a separate affirmative action case heard by the Supreme Court, a 6-3 vote struck down U-M's undergraduate point-based admissions policy.
The use of a 150-point policy that awards 20 points to racial and ethnic minorities was ruled unconstitutional. Other factors involved in undergraduate admissions are residency, minority high school attendance and whether relatives attended the university.
"The point system is a secondary issue," said Shanta Driver, national director of United for Equality in Affirmative Action and BAMN's national director.
Driver said the undergraduate decision was unimportant and says she sees most universities following suit, using the same policy that was proved constitutional in the law school case.
A 150-point system is administered because of the thousands of applications U-M receives each year and the difficulty in giving individual attention to each applicant, U-M president Mary Sue Coleman said. She said the use of the law school's method of admissions is a possible solution.
"One of the ways we might be able to modify it is by the way that we use it in the law school - that is a more individualized attention, but clearly we will start working on that right away," Coleman said in a telephone conference.
Although most of the demonstrations held on campus were in favor of affirmative action, not everyone agreed with the high court's decision.
Canton resident Don Turner says minorities should not need affirmative action to get into schools and they would be fine without it.
"I have faith in the fellow man regardless of color," Turner said. "I'm a big believer in the American dream."
Standing on the steps of the Michigan Union helping pass out fliers, Erika Ross, a 12-year-old Highland Park resident said she was there to help BAMN preserve affirmative action for her future.
"I'm out here for a reason," Ross said, "This is a good idea. This can be the history of starting a new thing."
Ben Phillip, a senior at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, said affirmative action is not the right way to make up for years of racial inequality.
"All people should be treated equally" Phillip said. "Affirmative action doesn't do that. It will not make up for people being treated differently."
U-M general studies senior Neal Lyons said the integration of blacks in America was the most important focus of affirmative action.
"The fight for black equality is the pivot point for American history," Lyons said. "It answers the question of how far everything else has come in this society."
Aleobua says the 50,000-person march supporting affirmative action in Washington D.C. on April 1 is what stirred the Supreme Court to make its decision.
"The lesson to be learned here is stand and fight," she said. "We can change society."
BAMN is planning a parade on Aug. 23 in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the preservation of affirmative action. It will coincide with a national civil rights march.
Staff writer Sarah McEvilly contributed to this report.
