RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper along with current Governor John Bel Edwards (LA) and former Governors Mike Easley (NC), Bev Perdue (NC), Jim Hunt (NC), Jim Hodges (SC), Richard Riley (SC), Ray Mabus (MS), Roy Barnes (GA), and Terry McAuliffe (VA) submitted an amicus brief in support of UNC (the University of North Carolina) in the United States Supreme Court cases challenging the consideration of race in college admissions at UNC and Harvard.

“Our public universities are the training grounds for our state workforce and the next generation of state leaders and government works better when it looks like the people it represents,” said Governor Cooper. “It is critical for states across the South, including North Carolina, to continue to close the education gap. Our public universities are the training grounds and foundation for our state’s workforce and the next generation of state leaders.”

“North Carolina’s reputation as “the education state” requires nothing less than a system of public education—including higher education—that values, supports, and mirrors the great diversity of the State and provides equal opportunity to all to pursue their dreams,” the brief states.

The brief focuses on the benefits of race-conscious admissions at public colleges and universities in Southern states. The brief argues that race-conscious admissions help create the next generation of diverse public servants and leaders in state and local governments. Race-conscious admissions are an important tool in making public universities more representative, which inspires confidence in public higher education and state government. 

Read the full Amicus Brief.