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Event Education, Governance Higher Ed, Race

Temporary Trend or Tipping Point The Way Forward with Colorblind Equality

11
Wednesday June 2025

Speakers

Robert VerBruggen Fellow @RAVerBruggen
Andre Archie Associate Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University
Wai Wah Chin Adjunct Fellow
Ilya Shapiro Senior Fellow | Director, Constitutional Studies @ishapiro
Jason L. Riley Senior Fellow @jasonrileywsj
Maimon Schwarzschild Professor of Law, University of San Diego
Richard Kahlenberg Director of the American Identity Project, Progressive Policy Institute
Wilfred Reilly Author and Associate Professor of Political Science, Kentucky State University
Edward Blum President, Students for Fair Admissions
Tunku Varadarajan Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

The Supreme Court's landmark decision to ban race-based preferences in college admissions has unleashed a national reckoning across higher education, K–12 schools, and corporate America. Are institutions complying with the ruling or rebranding and evading it? Will class-based preferences take the place of racial ones? Is this the beginning of a new era of colorblind public policy or merely a temporary pause in identity-based politics?

Please join the Manhattan Institute for a timely and thoughtful conference on the origin, status, and permanence of affirmative action, the backlash against DEI initiatives, and the path toward genuine equality in education and beyond.

AGENDA:

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM Check-in and Refreshments

3:30 PM - 6:30 PM Discussions and Keynote Interview

  • Panel I: The Colorblind Ideal and the Campus Response
    • Robert VerBruggen, Fellow, Manhattan Institute
    • Andre Archie, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University
    • Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University
    • Wai Wah Chin, Founding President, Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York
    • Ilya Shapiro, Director of Constitutional Studies, Manhattan Institute
  • Panel II: Class vs. Race-Based Preferences and the K–12 Frontline
    • Jason Riley, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute
    • Maimon Schwarzschild, Professor of Law, University of San Diego
    • Richard Kahlenberg, Director of the American Identity Project, Progressive Policy Institute
    • Wilfred Reilly, Author and Associate Professor of Political Science, Kentucky State University
  • Keynote Interview:
    • Edward Blum, President, Students for Fair Admissions
    • Tunku Varadarajan, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

6:30 PM - 7:00 PM Closing Reception

Photo: PeopleImages / E+ via Getty Images