Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College et al

Filing 455

MOTION for Leave to File to Participate as Amici Curiae by Harvard-Radcliffe Black Students Association, Kuumba Singers of Harvard College, Fuerza Latina of Harvard, Native Americans At Harvard College, Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association, Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Women's Association, Harvard Asian American Brotherhood, Harvard Vietnamese Association, Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association, Harvard Korean Association, Harvard Japan Society, Harvard South Asian Association, Harvard Islamic Society, Task Force on Asian and Pacific American Studies at Harvard College, Harvard Phillips Brooks House Association, Harvard Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students, Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, First Generation Harvard Alumni, Native American Alumni of Harvard University, Harvard University Muslim Alumni, Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Amicus Brief by Harvard Student and Alumni Organizations in Support of Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment, # 2 Exhibit Declaration, # 3 Exhibit Declaration, # 4 Exhibit Declaration, # 5 Exhibit Declaration, # 6 Exhibit Declaration, # 7 Exhibit Declaration, # 8 Exhibit Declaration, # 9 Exhibit Declaration, # 10 Exhibit Declaration, # 11 Exhibit Declaration, # 12 Exhibit Declaration, # 13 Exhibit Declaration, # 14 Exhibit Declaration, # 15 Exhibit Declaration, # 16 Exhibit Declaration, # 17 Exhibit Declaration)(Thayer, Kenneth)

EXHIBIT 8

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
BOSTON DIVISION
STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS, INC,
Plaintiff,
v.
PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF
HARVARD COLLEGE (HARVARD
CORPORATION),

Civil Action No. 1:14-cv-14176-ADB

Defendant.

DECLARATION OF JASMINE PARMLEY
(HARVARD JAPAN SOCIETY)
Jasmine Parmley, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746, declares the following:
1.

My name is Jasmine Parmley. I am a rising sophomore at Harvard and expect to

earn my bachelor’s degree by 2021. I am writing this declaration individually and on behalf of the
Harvard Japan Society in support of race consciousness in Harvard College’s admissions policy.
2.

Along with Luna Sano, I am Co-President of the Harvard Japan Society (“HJS”).

After consulting with HJS’s board members, I have been given authority to submit this declaration
on behalf of HJS.
3.

HJS seeks to spread Japanese cultural awareness throughout the Harvard

community, provide Harvard students more opportunities to engage with other Japanese students,
be an intermediary contact for Japan-related opportunities and Harvard students, provide support
for students seeking postgraduate career opportunities in Japan, provide a platform to discuss

critical issues on Japan, and solidify relationships with other Japanese communities and
organizations within and outside of Harvard.
4.

HJS decided to get involved in this lawsuit to support race consciousness in

Harvard’s admission policy and also as an act of solidarity with other supporters of race
consciousness in Harvard’s admissions policy. While we all still have room to grow, we would
rather stand for something that isn’t perfect that aligns with our principles rather than remain silent.
HJS stands for diversity as exemplified in race conscious admissions.
5.

We do not agree with Edward Blum or SFFA. They do not speak for us. Their

actions and words do not reflect how we feel, nor our lived experiences. We in no way want to
negate nor discount the very valid and real opinions of those who are part of SFFA’s brief, but
they should not be seen as representatives of the Asian American Pacific Islander (“AAPI”)
community. We are uncomfortable with the way that Blum and SFFA could pit Asian Americans
against Harvard and against other people of color, especially given the AAPI community’s history
of being used as a racial wedge. The categorization of our community as a model minority is a
problem and not a stereotype that all of us want to fall into.
6.

While there is a problem with the way Harvard approaches Asian and Asian-

American applicants as a group, the problem does not lie with race-conscious admissions or
affirmative action. Rather, there may be a widespread problem with implicit bias with the way
that AAPI applicants are discussed, both by Harvard Admissions Officers as well as by high school
teachers.
7.

The problem with implicit bias can better be addressed by getting more Asian and

Asian-American representation within the admission’s office and among alumni interviewers. For
example, my alumni interviewer turned out to be someone with whom I had a lot in common. My

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interviewer’s ability to understand my lived experience as a woman of color made me more
comfortable. I was able to relax and be more open when answering his questions. I may not have
had as positive an experience with the alumni interview had my interviewer not had that baseline
level of understanding.
8.

Removing Harvard’s ability to consider race as one of many factors in admissions

will adversely affect HJS members and applicants like us. Being Japanese is a big part of who we
are. If our application materials are to authentically reflect who we are, it is important that we be
able to write about the culture we grew up with. We would not have felt comfortable applying to
Harvard if the application process required us to censor who we are.
9.

Furthermore, HJS members benefit from interacting with students from other walks

of life. Because I have had the opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds, I have
learned more about other cultures and have become more socially and politically aware of how
other communities of color face similar problems that are manifested in different ways.
10.

Like many other students of color at Harvard, I grew up in a predominately white

community. While I generally had a wonderful experience there, I felt especially visible, even as
a small child, because I was often the only Asian-American person or the only person of color in
the room. Since I was the only Asian-American student in many of my classes, hurtful, racially
insensitive words made by my classmates were often excused as light-hearted comments.
11.

When you are the only person of a particular background in a class, you are a lot

more aware of the words coming out of your mouth and the weight that they carry. You feel
pressure to represent something more than yourself. It is very scary when you have to be the only
story or the only person of a particular background that people know.

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12.

Many of the colleges I toured as a high school student looked like the community

in which I grew up. Harvard was different. The prospect of not feeling like I always had to
represent my culture or anyone who in any way looked like me and meeting others who shared my
experience as a person of color made Harvard especially appealing.
13.

Harvard, with its vibrant community of students of color, was a refreshing change.

It was so nice to meet other Japanese or Asian American students and learn that they, too, felt the
way I did growing up. For many of us, coming to Harvard was the first time we found a community
of others who share this experience. When you are not the odd one out, it makes you feel like you
belong. When there are others from a similar background as you, there is a certain level of
understanding that establishes more of a safe space. At Harvard, I feel safer voicing my opinions
without someone taking my opinions as representative of a whole community.
14.

The support of a welcoming community has been especially important for me.

Since I am the first student in recent years from my Midwestern high school to attend an Ivy
League college, coming to Harvard was especially intimidating. I would not have adjusted to
Harvard as quickly had I not felt I belonged.
15.

Too often, Asians and Asian Americans are viewed as the model minority and

pitted against other people of color. Thus, it is important to HJS to make clear that we stand with
them. While progress can still be made with the current system, we support race conscious
admissions at Harvard.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
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Executed on this day, July ______, 2018

___________________________________
Jasmine Parmley

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