ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the significance of the Fisher v. University of Texas, Austin affirmative action decision. It also considers Fisher’s importance within a larger constellation of Civil Rights battles from the Supreme Court. After nearly eight years, the affirmative action odyssey known as Fisher v. University of Texas finally ended in the Spring of 2016. Fisher’s costly near decade-long legal dispute was entirely bankrolled by the curiously named Project on Fair Representation (POFR). The nonprofit legal defense fund supports litigation that challenges racial and ethnic classification and preferences in federal and local courts. When Peggy McIntosh reflected on the invisible knapsack of white privilege, it represented a fascinating take on the taken-for-granted privileges and advantages that are practiced and enjoyed by Whites. Building off the momentum created by critically engaging with white privilege and whiteness in the colorblind era, multiple interventions have identified the ways that race advantage continues to manifest in the colorblind era.
