We all remember the huge uproar in 2013 when a case made it to the Supreme Court regarding the University of Texas’ affirmative action admission policy. The short of it is, one young white student, Abigail Fisher, felt wronged and somehow disadvantaged as a result of University of Texas’ affirmative action admission policy. This post is not about this case in particular but about the mastermind behind it.
Does the name Edward Blum ring a bell?…….No? Well let’s get started.
About 2 months ago I came across a podcast that talked about a guy named Edward Blum. I was so mad and in disbelief by the end of the podcast. I just could not fathom that someone was making it their mission in life to intentionally overturn civil rights laws. Further more no one was talking about it! In all the hooplah that resulted from Fisher v. U of T, I never heard his name. Not on the news, on the radio, on social media. NOWHERE! Below are a few things about Mr. Blum and why we need to be sure we are keeping our eyes and ears to the streets and staying aware of the puppet masters of the world.
One day Edward Blum (seen below) decided to run for congress because there was no Republican opposition to the Democratic incumbent (nominee) in his district. He and his wife printed off a walking map of their district and decided to go door to door in an effort to get votes. While walking door to door they realized that the district was awkwardly broken down. Upon further research they found the reasoning for the district breakdown was a result of a past civil rights ruling (one that was intended to give minorities a chance to actually elect a representative they wanted).
Blum enlisted 3 friends (1 Asian, 1 Hispanic, and 1 African-American) and decided to sue the state of Texas regarding this district breakdown and won. This win would be the catalyst in creating the trajectory of his work to come. Oh, and by the way, he lost his run for congress……….
Edward Blum decided in this moment, in his win against the state of Texas and the resulting overturning of the past civil rights ruling, that this was his passion. Attempting to strike down every race based policy possible via the courts was going to be his life’s work. He’s gone after Affirmative Action in Houston – which he won, abolishing school districts from being required to fill certain racial quota’s (for lack of a better term). In essence school districts with histories of showing racial bias could go back to showing those biases and nothing could be done about it by law. Thanks Ed……
His nickname is “The Architect”. He’s been the architect of 24 lawsuits, 6 of which have made it to the Supreme Court. In 2013 the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Right’s act. Previously, per The Voting Rights Act, states and counties with histories of discrimination had to check with government before they could change their local voting laws. This 2013 Supreme Court ruling changed that. How wonderful…..
In a particular part of the podcast, the host points out the purpose and necessity for the civil rights laws that have been passed to date. Blum explicitly responded that the civil rights laws were outdated. He also stated, “America has come so far, and no longer needs these laws.” (my thought when I heard this come out his mouth: hmm…is that right?). He goes on to say that in 1964/1965 America was held hostage by the choke-hold of Jim Crow and the legacy of slavery (REALLY??? AMERICA was held hostage???). He ended his lovely train of thought from above with this, “laws change, laws evolve, and at some point, they need to come to an end.” ……By this point in the podcast I was hot, I mean my body is physically warm from trying to contain my anger. I was in such disbelief and disgust.
Blum is basically a one man show. He started a non profit and gets donations from wealthy, conservative individuals and foundations. These donations fund his whole operation. Lawyers, court cost, everything. You may be wondering how this all works. Well let’s look at an example. Let’s say Edward Blum wants to challenge Affirmative Action. He puts out a casting call, sets up a website, uploads a video urging white students that have been rejected from oh, lets say UT (university of Texas) to submit their story on his website. He then weeds thorough the submissions to get some viable stories. After he has chosen his prospects, he then goes and meets with the submitter’s to see if they want to pursue legal action. If so, he proceeds with the weeding out process until he finds THE ONE. Someone who will be sympathetic with the public. Someone who can be the face of his case a.k.a. the perfect plaintiff.
This is what happened with Abby Fisher. You may remember her. She filed suit against the University of Texas stating that she didn’t get accepted due affirmative action and that somehow a less deserving black student got what was apparently her spot……Felicia, Felicia,…..please go over there……FAR over there!!!! Luckily Edward Blum and Abby Fisher lost this case!
But wait, there’s more! Before you breathe any sighs of relief, know that he has plans to challenge more universities affirmative action admission policies. He already has cases setup for litigation against Harvard and the University of North Carolina when court resumes in October.
I was unable to find the podcast on SoundCloud but I did find it on Radiolab’s website. So if you are interested in hearing the full story, click HERE. *Note: the first half of the podcast is about a completely different case. Skip to the 32:10 minute mark to start at the section pertaining to Edward Blum.
Major Morris 