Affirmative action, giving preference to people based on the color of their skin, not character and talent, is contrary to Dr. King’s own words.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Last week, the Supreme Court took a large step toward true equality by upholding a Michigan voter ban on affirmative action in college admissions.

I am not saying affirmative action hurts white people – it doesn’t. What I am saying is that it hurts minorities and is not a true policy of equality.

Proposition 209 was a California ballot initiative on affirmative action to end racial preference in their state. What happened afterward was unexpected.

Minority enrollments into the state universities declined, but the number of minorities graduating did not change. This means the minority rate of graduation grew.

To put that in plain English, many of these students were not finishing college. Because they were given preference in schools, affirmative action was getting them into a school that, for one reason or another, they could not finish.

This is not a racial thing. We could expect the same result if white students were admitted to schools for which they were not qualified. The result was that these minority students left college with no degree, most likely large amounts of student loans and a bad experience with higher education. How does any of this help minorities?

There are many minorities that have graduated from college and become very successful. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has even referred to herself as an “affirmative action baby.”

However, her intellect and work ethic suggests that she would have graduated from a great school — even if that school was not Princeton or Yale — and gone on to a successful career, regardless.

But if affirmative action is granting admittance to students who will only be harmed by attending that university, the racial preference should be removed. The evidence suggests Sotomayor is the exception, not the rule.

The best candidates should be the ones admitted to  the best schools. For the less qualified students (of any race), there are less prestigious and demanding schools to fit their needs. If every student goes to the right school, we will have more graduates holding more degrees in every race. This helps minorities, the education system and the economy.

To be admitted to UK, we had to write an essay on how we could contribute to diversity. Diversity is celebrated – as it should be. No student will be denied based on race in this environment, which means they should not be admitted based on it either.

Affirmative action not only hurts minorities, but it hurts the entire nation and economy as a whole. It is time we took Dr. King’s dream and the 14th Amendment for what they are.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”