07/01/2023
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions to end a 40-year precedent of race-based affirmative action in college admissions; to strike down student loan forgiveness programs; to undermine civil rights protections for LGBTQIA+ people threaten our community’s efforts to counteract historical injustices and build a diverse coalition of students. As Indigo peer counselors, and as students who work at the intersection of mental health, race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality, socioeconomic and first-generation identity to provide non-directive and non-judgmental counseling, we are particularly appalled with the Supreme Court decision to institutionalize colorblindness and perpetuate discrimination against marginalized groups.
We are deeply concerned for the social, political, and mental health impacts of this Court’s decision upon Black, Latino(x), Native American, and AAPI students, particularly those who simultaneously experience adverse challenges due to socioeconomic or sexuality/gender identity. At a time when higher education and admissions already represents a significant stressor, we worry that both current and prospective students will struggle with the anxieties associated with legally-sanctioned discrimination, oppression, and inequitable access to future opportunities. We hope to express our empathy towards those who may feel frustrated, angry, or even doubtful about their role at Harvard and the impact of these Court decisions upon their community.
Our work at Indigo informs us that marginalized students at Harvard already face unique mental health challenges. At an institution historically built upon slavery, colonialism, and oppression, Harvard’s BIPOC students often experience microaggressions, internalized self-doubt, and firsthand confrontations with the school’s discriminatory history in the treatment they may receive from other faculty or students. In addition, BIPOC, q***r, and FGLI students enter Harvard as individuals shaped by their social identities and environments, which may disproportionately include discrimination, violence, and poverty that impact their long-term mental health. The recent Supreme Court decisions further prevent the creation of a diverse, representative Harvard student body; hinders BIPOC communities and spaces of support; and, perhaps most importantly, denies the lived realities of marginalized students. We call upon Harvard to protect its BIPOC, FGLI, q***r, neurodivergent, and marginalized students, recognizing and mitigating any mental health impacts from this Supreme Court decision on top of other accumulated, intersectional mental health challenges.
We as Indigo counselors are ever more committed to providing a safe-space for our peers. Please know that we are here to listen, support, and empower all students through these difficult times. If you would like to call or talk with an Indigo peer counselor, please reach out to our email and we will do our best to hold confidential spaces for you to share anything on your mind. We are here for you - we empathize.
Sincerely,
Brian, Jeffrey, Namira
Co-directors of Indigo
