Have you, or someone you know, been affected by racial affirmative action policies? Have you seen the true effects of discrimination?

If so, WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORY. Please share your story by reaching out to us at info[at]xivfoundation[dot]org with “My Story” in the subject line.

All too often the conversation about racial preferences revolves around legal arguments, legislation, polling and statistics, while we forget the stories of real people who are impacted by these policies…

• …Real people like Ashely, who graduated high school when she was 16-years-old with a 4.3 GPA and a 32 on the ACT. Despite her impressive accomplishments, she was terrified of ever having a bad day or answering a question incorrectly in class lest her peers think she got there through affirmative action, as she happened to be black.
• …Real people like David, who desperately wanted to attend the elite college in his neighborhood but was turned down, despite excellent grades, because as an Asian student the application process held him to a much higher standard.
• …Real people like Katuria, who was originally accepted to law school with generous scholarships because, based on her name, admissions officers assumed she was black. Her story of overcoming poverty and immense personal obstacles to graduate from college and apply to law school wasn’t enough to overcome separate standards based on race. Once they found out she was white, she was denied.
• …Real people like Jennifer. She applied to the University of Michigan but was rejected because the school employed separate standards for different races. Had she been black, Latino or Native American with her grades she would have been accepted. Instead, she was automatically denied because she was the “wrong” skin color.

We are more than names on paper and certainly more than the color of our skin. We are unique individuals, with real hopes and dreams. From an early age we are taught that discriminating based on appearance is wrong, but through personal experience and stories like these, we learn this is exactly how our government treats us.

It is long past due to reject these policies, but they will only end when individuals are confronted with the moral and practical costs of discrimination. This happens when people tell stories.

Will you tell yours?

- Jennifer Gratz, CEO