>> WELL, THANK YOU.

WORKING AT IT.

>> Eric: LARRY FITZGERALD, EVERYBODY.

>> Eric: LAST WEEK'S U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISIONS ENDING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND COLLEGE DEBT FORGIVENESS ARE REVERBERATING THROUGH COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

REPORTER MARY LAHAMMER TALKED WITH A DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR SPECIALIZING IN RACE AND MEDIA WHO ONCE MADE MINNESOTA HIS HIGHER ED HOME.

HERE'S PART OF MARY'S CONVERSATION WITH HER LONGTIME FRIEND, WHO SHARES HIS PERSPECTIVES ON THESE RULINGS.

>> PROFESSOR LINEAR HOLT, I HEARD FROM YOU AFTER THE SUPREME COURT DECISIONS, WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION?

>> THE SUPREME COURT IS DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND I CAN EVER MEET.

IT'S STAGNATION THROUGH LEGISLATION, I DUB THEE SCOTUS.

>> ARE YOU SURPRISED BY IT?

>> DISAPPOINTED BUT NOT SURPRISED.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE COURT AND IT'S 6-3, THE LEGACY OF DONALD JOHN TRUMP EVEN THOUGH HE'S NOT ON THE WHITE HOUSE, THE -- REACH OF ANY PRESIDENT IN HISTORY.

ESPECIALLY YOU THINK HOW LONG THAT WAS IN PLACE, HEY'VE DONE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, ROE V. WADE, THEY'VE DONE TUITION, EVERYTHING'S CHANGING.

>> WHAT IS IT GOING TO MEAN GOING FORWARD FOR DIVERSITY IN UNIVERSITIES?

WE'VE SEEN SOME STATES BACK OFF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND WE'VE SEEN LESS DIVERSE UNIVERSITIES AND ALSO LOAN FORGIVENESS WHICH LOOKED LIKE NUMERICALLY IT WAS GOING TO BE BENEFIT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN GOING FORWARD?

>> IT'S A GREAT TRAGEDY.

HERE'S THE WAY I SEE IT.

BACK IN THE 1980S AND PROBABLY BEFORE THAT, EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF USED TO BE THE BRIDGE FROM BECOMING A HAVE-NOT TOTO BECOMING A HAVE.

>> WHAT ABOUT THE ECONOMIC DIVERSITY?

LET ME JUMP IN BECAUSE THE COURT HAS BEEN SAYING AND CONSERVATIVES HAS BEEN SAYING, NO, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS NOT OUTLAWED, IT'S JUST SPECIFIC RACE AND YOU CAN USE ECONOMIC BACKGROUND.

>> ECONOMICS AND RACE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERTWINED, INASMUCHAS IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES RIGHT NOW, AND IMAGINE A PERSON WITH A MANSION AND A $100,000 CAR, IN YOUR MIND YOU THINK IT'S A WHITE PERSON, YOU CAN'T DISENTANGLE THAT.

YOU'RE GOING TO GET A POPULATION THAT MAKES MOST SCHOOLS LOOK LIKE PRIVATE WEALTHY ELITE UNIVERSITIES.

AND THAT'S A GREAT TRAGEDY.

>> WHAT ABOUT THE T-SHIRT?

TELL ME BOUT WHAT YOU'RE WEARING AND WHY?

>> WELL, I FOUND OUT THE CRIMSON, HARVARD AS HEY SAY THEY'RE ACTUALLY ON OUR SIDE.

AND ONE OF THE JUSTICES I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THEY LOOKED AT AND I'M PARAPHRASING HERE BUT HARVARD DISPROPORTIONATELY GAVE AN ADVANTAGE TO PEOPLE OF COLOR.

IN FACT THEY SAID ASIAN KID IN THE TOP QUARTILE WAS LESS LIKELY TO GET IN HARVARD LAW THAN A STUDENT OF LAW IN A LOWER QUARTILE IN TERMS OF ABILITY TO GET INTO THE PROGRAM.

THEY ASSUMES THAT WE HAVE MERITOCRACY IN AMERICA WHERE EVERYONE HAS AN EQUAL CHANCE TO SUCCEED.

GEORGE FLOYD SHOWED AMERICA HAS NOT CHANGED, WHAT I MEAN IS EVERY SINGLE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE BY PEOPLE OF COLOR HAS BEEN MET WITH REBUKE BY BY THE WHITE MAJORITY.

YOU LOOK AT THE KU KLUX KLAN, IT WAS FORMED IN 1865.

FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY, RESPONSE WAS THE KLAN, ALL OF A SUDDEN WE CAN GET ACCESS TO THE SAME THINGS AS WHITE, WE GOT RACIAL SEGREGATION.

WE ELECTED THE FIRST BIRACIAL PRESIDENT, WHAT DID WE GET IN RESPONSE?

DONALD TRUMP.

AFTER GEORGE FLOYD GOT KILLED WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING WHAT CAN WE DO, WHAT CAN WE DO, WHAT DID WE GET IN RESPONSE O HA?

THE RESPONSE WAS SO BAD THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO STOP EDUCATING ABOUT RACE.

>> WHAT ABOUT MEDIA?

YOU ARE A PROFESSOR OF MEDIA, SPECIALIZING IN RACE.

WHAT'S MEDIA'S ROLE AND WHAT HAS MEDIA DONE TO HELP OR HURT THIS SITUATION >> MEDIA IS A VERY WEIRD THING AND THIS IS THE PROBLEM AND CONNECTING THE USTICES' DECISION TO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

>> THERE'S A LOT OF MEDIA COVERAGE OUT THERE.

>> MEDIA DISPROPORTIONATELY MORE THAN LIKELY SKEWS WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT REALITY.

VERY LITTLE OF WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD NOW COMES FROM FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE.

MEDIA INFLUENCE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE WORLD.

IT'S NOT YOU ENCOUNTER THESE PEOPLE AND YOU THINK ABOUT THEM, MEDIA INFLUENCE WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO THINK ABOUT THEM BEFORE THEN SO WHEN YOU MEET THEM YOU'RE CONFIRMING OR REJECTING THE STEREOTYPE MEDIA CREATED.

>> AND WE'RE INCREASINGLY N LITTLE VACUUMS WHERE WE'RE CONSUMING MEDIA WE AGREE WITH TOO.

>> OH, YEAH, THAT'S THE THING WE'VE DONE.

WE THOUGHT WHEN WE HAD SOCIAL MEDIA, M SNBC, NBC AND ALL THAT STUFF, HEY, IT'S THE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS.

NO, WE'VE CREATED OUR INDIVIDUAL FIEFDOMS.

YOU PICK THE MEDIA YOU BELIEVE IN.

>> WHAT ABOUT OUTGOING LEGACY ENTRANCE?

THAT'S WHAT FOLKS ARE SAYING IS THE BEST WAY TO ELIMINATE LEGACY.

>> NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

NEPOTISM HAS ALWAYS BEEN A THING.

NEPOTISM IS A THING IN THE WORKPLACE, IN OLLEGES, IT'S GOING TO BE ALWAYS BE A THING