Lawrence Jones argued that affirmative action perpetuates the notion that Black people need white people’s help in order to succeed. (Hill.TV / video screenshot )
Conservative talk show host Lawrence Jones is an outspoken critic of affirmative action, and he made his feelings on the practice crystal clear on Thursday.
“I hate the notion that Black people always need white people’s help to succeed in this country,” Jones, who serves as editor-in-chief of online magazine Campus Reform, told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton.
“There’s also this demoralizing aspect of it whereas a Black man that believes that there is no competitor that’s too big for me, just being a former athlete, to say that the standards have to be lower for me to compete against someone; that is also concerning,” he added.
Jones’ comments come just days after the Trump administration announced plans to roll back Obama-era guidelines on affirmative action — changes that would give schools and universities the go-ahead to take a race-neutral approach when considering students for admission.
Under guidance from the Obama administration, schools were provided a framework for “considering race to further the compelling interests in achieving diversity and avoiding racial isolation,” but also noted that race should NOT be used as a primary factor when considering a student’s admission.
“Institutions are not required to implement race-neutral approaches if, in their judgment, the approaches would be unworkable,” the guidance stated. “In some cases, race-neutral approaches will be unworkable because they will be ineffective to achieve the diversity the institution seeks.”
Jones said now the question is how do we level the playing field where folks are judged based solely on merit.
Click here to see more of the interview.
