Asian Americans spent decades seeking fair education. Then the right stole the narrative

The Harvard students Shruthi Kumar, left, and Muskaan Arshad join a rally with other activists as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments over affirmative action. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

For decades, the rightwing gadfly Ed Blum, his group Students for Fair Admissions, and his shadowy rightwing funders have been trying to end affirmative action. They have finally secured an opportunity with the Trump-stacked supreme court to accomplish their mission with a decision expected in June.

In the cases before the court on Harvard’s admissions, Asian Americans have been presented as victims of affirmative action and unfair admissions processes. But Asian Americans spent decades fighting for both fair admissions and affirmative action. If that appears to be a contradiction, it’s only because the history of this struggle has largely been erased. The true story of Asian Americans in higher education complicates both Blum’s and Harvard’s claims, and should lead us toward rethinking the stakes of this debate.