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hc hd bf he hf hg hh hi hj hk hl hm hn ho hp hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz bk" data-testid="storyTitle">Woker than you #10: Why it’s the right time to rethink affirmative action</h1><div><div class="speechify-ignore ab cp"><div class="speechify-ignore bh l"><div class="ia ib ic id ie ab"><div><div class="ab if"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><a rel="noopener follow" href="/@zookkini?source=post_page---byline--873c281f9b80--------------------------------"><div class="l ig ih by ii ij"><div class="l fj"><img alt="dczook" class="l fd by dd de cx" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:88:88/1*lfDI0H24-F4_BWZtR4-LxA.jpeg" width="44" height="44" loading="lazy" data-testid="authorPhoto"/><div class="ik by l dd de fs n il ft"></div></div></div></a></div></div></div></div><div class="bn bh l"><div class="ab"><div style="flex:1"><span class="bf b bg z bk"><div class="im ab q"><div class="ab q in"><div class="ab q"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><p class="bf b io ip 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width="2400" height="2667" loading="eager" role="presentation"/></picture></figure></div><div class="ab cb"><div class="ci bh fz ga gb gc"><p id="294b" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mj mk hd ml b mm mn mo mp mq mr ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng gw bk no"><span class="l np nq nr bo ns nt nu nv nw fj">B</span>ack in November 2020, while many people were welcoming the election of Joe Biden as a bit of good news in a year that offered precious little of it, Californians found their celebrations somewhat dampened by a different piece of electoral news. Proposition 16, a ballot measure that would reinstate preferences for race and other elements of identity in decisions about admissions and hiring, had been defeated. In a year in which the idea of a “racial reckoning” and the fight for racial justice had moved to the forefront of national concerns, Proposition 16 was seen by its supporters as a no-brainer, a ballot initiative that would pass so easily that the only legitimate question to ask was just how much of a celebratory landslide it would be.</p><p id="bd49" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mj mk hd ml b mm mn mo mp mq mr ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng gw bk">Yet there it was: Proposition 16, a piece of legislation specifically designed to overturn Proposition 209, which had earlier banned the use of race and identity in admissions and hiring, had failed (the No vote was 57%). The immediate knee-jerk response was of course to blame White supremacy and systemic racism for the defeat. But as the numbers were analyzed, and the distribution of No votes was revealed, the reality showed something very different. The only way Proposition 16 could have failed, it turned out, was if a…</p></div></div></div></div></section></div></div></article></div><div class="l"></div><footer class="nx ny nz oa ob oc od oe gv ab q of og c"><div class="l ae"><div class="ab cb"><div class="ci bh fz ga gb gc"><div class="ab cp oh"><div class="ab q kj"><div class="oi l"><span class="l oj ok ol e d"><div class="ab q kj kk"><div class="pw-multi-vote-icon fj gt kl km kn"><span><a class="af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at" data-testid="footerClapButton" rel="noopener follow" href="/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F_%2Fvote%2Fp%2F873c281f9b80&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40zookkini%2Fwoker-than-you-10-why-its-the-right-time-to-rethink-affirmative-action-873c281f9b80&user=dczook&userId=990953a4b1bb&source=---footer_actions--873c281f9b80---------------------clap_footer-----------"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><div class="ko ao kp kq kr ks am kt ku kv kn"><svg 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