The Supreme Court of the United States just agreed to hear Pacific Legal Foundation’s case challenging race-based school admissions in Maryland. Join us for a happy hour to celebrate the cert grant—and watch a sneak peek of PLF’s feature film about similar admissions problems in New York City.
No student should be treated differently on the basis of race. But that’s what is happening in school districts that try to “racially balance” schools. In New York City, the country’s largest school district, these efforts focus on the Specialized High Schools, elite public schools that have produced Nobel laureates, astronauts, judges, artists, and national leaders. The city is battling who should get into these schools: the students who score highest on the entrance exam, or students who will improve racial diversity.
Two years ago, PLF began filming a few middle school students—Kingsley, Kevin, and Hailey—who were applying to the Specialized High Schools. In our documentary film, If You Can Make It Here, we follow the students’ application process and speak to experts—including Wai Wah Chin from the Manhattan Institute and Jon Roberts from the Bronx Science Alumni Association—about equity, excellence, and equal treatment in public education.
That battle is now headed to the nation’s highest court. On October 19, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education, PLF’s challenge to race-based admissions at magnet middle schools in Montgomery County, Maryland. The ruling could shape how public schools across the country decide who gets in.
In New York for Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner? Step out to The Three Monkeys (a five-minute walk from the Sheraton New York Times Square) during your free time to join PLF for an open bar and appetizers, an exclusive preview of the film, and brief remarks on the case the Supreme Court just took up.
Space is limited. Reserve your spot today.
