Wednesday’s oral arguments in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case has suggested a notion of potentially overruling the admission policies for universities and colleges to be race-conscious in achieving a “critical mass” for diversity, as envisioned in the 2003 landmark case Grutter v. Bollinger. The Supreme Court ruling holds stakes higher than ever for black students, as the abolishment of affirmative action could lessen their chances of admission into selective colleges and universities. Yet, for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, admission rates could by default be on the threshold, as the black student proportion at traditional schools are expected to decline without the legally appointed system that accounted for the rising efforts of diversity at most colleges and universities. During this post-segregation era, the regression of affirmative action has provided a glimpse of hope for HBCUs to retain its most marketable niche, high-achieving black students. read more…