Power, Merit, and the Imitations of the Black and White Binary in the Affirmative Action Debate: The Case of Asian Americans at Whitney High School

Abstract

In an era of backlash against increasing racial diversity on school campuses, the number of Asian Americans admitted to highly selective schools is on the rise. As selective universities report decreasing numbers of Blacks and Latinos, the presence of Asian Americans remains strongly felt.2 Asian Americans comprise approximately 15 percent of the students at many Ivy League universities, topping at approximately 20 percent at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard.3 At some of the University of California campuses, Asian Americans already constitute the majority.4 As the number of Asian Americans surpasses that of Whites, White students threaten to become underrepresented minorities, leaving communities to grapple with the meaning and purpose of affirmative action.! At Whitney and Lowell High Schools, two nationally-recognized magnet schools in California, Asian Americans have constituted the racial