1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East President George Gresham, who heads the largest Union of Health Care Workers in the United States, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate Affirmative Action in Higher Education:

 “The Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate Affirmative Action in Higher Education is a direct attack on every Black and Brown community in our country.

This unconscionable ruling threatens to unravel decades of progress in advancing equity in education and in our society at large.

As a Union of Health Care Workers, predominantly People of Color, we condemn this act in the strongest terms as an outright assault on our children’s futures.  

Likewise, the blocking of President Biden’s Student Loan Program will push countless young people into poverty and a life of perpetual and inescapable debt.

Decisions like these - championed by the wealthy and powerful and a corrupted Supreme Court - are precisely why vast racial and class inequalities exist in our Nation.

Higher Education Institutions are pathways to positions of power in our country.

Colleges and universities must recognize how essential racial equity and diversity are to a vibrant and inclusive society. 

In the face of these decisions, we urge institutions to continue to bring down barriers to ensure that all of us - no matter what we look like or where we come from can get ahead."

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East - whose mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all, is the largest and fastest-growing Health Care Union in the United States and represents more than 400,000 Nurses and Caregivers throughout the States of New York, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, and in Washington, D.C.