Whoopi Goldberg, the outspoken actress and talk show host, exploded on Wednesday after a Supreme Court ruling that could effectively end affirmative action in college admissions.
The ruling, which was handed down in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas, found that the university’s use of race as a factor in admissions was unconstitutional.
Goldberg, who is a co-host of the ABC show “The View,” was clearly upset by the ruling. She called it “a terrible day for America” and said that it was “a slap in the face to all of us who have fought for equality.”
“The Supreme Court has upset a 45-year precedent, ruling it unconstitutional for universities to consider race in admissions,” Goldberg began, and she went on to outline the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment — just before she pivoted 180 degrees to explain why colleges should not have to treat people equally if the people they were favoring were of certain races.
“Now, the 14th Amendment is supposed to promise equal protection,” she said. “But if everyone was actually treated equally, we wouldn’t have had to put in affirmative action. We wouldn’t have had to do it.”
“I want you to know, the two people that have been bringing this — who for many years have been trying to get this gone — Edward Blum and Abigail Fisher,” Goldberg continued, her tone accusatory. “You two have been trying to get rid of affirmative action. Why do we scare you? Why do we scare you?”
“Why do you fear us?” Goldberg asked. “Why do you fear our diversity? Why do you fear our strength? Why do you fear our intelligence?”
Goldberg’s comments were echoed by other liberals, who decried the ruling as a setback for civil rights.
“This is a dark day for America,” said Senator Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California. “The Supreme Court has just dealt a major blow to affirmative action, which has been a vital tool for ensuring that our institutions are truly representative of our country.”
SUPREME COURT SETS NEW LIMITS ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: #TheView co-hosts react to the ruling in cases involving whether public and private colleges and universities can continue to use race as one factor among many in student admissions. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/vhllMQpCu4
— The View (@TheView) June 29, 2023
