Jackie Bray
To be honest, it's hard to imagine the University of Michigan without affirmative action because so much of my experience there has been centered around the people that I've have met and conversations that I've have had that I know I wouldn't have had without affirmative action and so much of my experience, just in academia, has been about being around people who bring different things to the table. And I can't imagine the University of Michigan, without affirmative action, being as wonderful and productive a community to be a part of.
I think though that the first thing that we have to understand about affirmative action at the University of Michigan is that the University of Michigan needs to be responsible and uphold a certain standard of community and a certain environment that acknowledges, understands the history that we came from. And without affirmative action, we're sending the message that we don't understand the history as it has to relate to race that our universities come out of, and that our society comes out of.
And so as an academic institution, to be in an academic institution, it's really important for me that their policies reflect an accurate picture of where we've all come from and affirmative action sends a message to the student body that they understand that.
My name is Jackie Bray. I am a white woman who grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey and I currently am at the University of Michigan studying History.
