Former President Barack Obama strongly spoke out against the US Supreme Court's decision to ban the use of race and ethnicity in university admissions, saying that affirmative action policies had "allowed generations of students" including him and his wife Michelle to "prove we belonged".
Mr Obama argued that these policies were essential to ensuring that all students, regardless of race or ethnicity, have the opportunity to succeed.
"Affirmative action was never a complete answer in the drive towards a more just society. But for generations of students who had been systematically excluded from most of America's key institutions-it gave us the chance to show we more than deserved a seat at the table," Mr Obama wrote on social media.
"In the wake of the Supreme Court's recent decision, it's time to redouble our efforts," he added.
The US Supreme Court ruled that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina's admissions programs were in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. The Supreme Court justices voted along ideological lines in a 6-3 decision that struck down the policy - a decision hailed by the Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, and slammed by Democrats.
"My heart breaks for any young person out there who's wondering what their future holds - and what kinds of chances will be open to them," former First Lady Michelle Obama said in a separate statement.
"And while I know the strength and grit that lies inside kids who have always had to sweat a little more to climb the same ladders, I hope and I pray that the rest of us are willing to sweat a little, too," she added. "Today is a reminder that we've got to do the work not just to enact policies that reflect our values of equity and fairness, but to truly make those values real in all of our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods."
Donald Trump claimed that the decision to strike down the policy will enable the US to "compete with the rest of the world".
"This is the ruling everyone was waiting and hoping for and the result was amazing. It will also keep us competitive with the rest of the world," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "Our greatest minds must be cherished and that's what this wonderful day has brought. We're going back to all merit-based -- and that's the way it should be!"
US President Joe Biden "strongly disagreed" with the Supreme Court's decision. The court's ruling "walked away from decades of precedent," he said.
