Affirmative Action
Providing Equal Opportunity

Contribute to Help Peter Fight for Equal Opportunity

All Americans deserve an equal opportunity to get the education they need and the jobs they deserve to reach their American dream. I support affirmative action because I realize that despite the unquestionable strides we’ve made over the last several decades, discrimination still exists in far too many workplaces, schools, and communities.

We have made significant strides in the past few decades to level the playing field for all people by allowing greater access to higher education and the professional workforce. Affirmative Action remains a needed way to help some gain admission to a school that will be the key to their success, and that’s why as your Senator, I’ll fight to gain greater access for all Floridians seeking a post-secondary education.

This is a fight I have been waging for many years. I opposed Jeb Bush’s “One Florida” plan to dismantle affirmative action at Florida’s higher education institutions - and I joined with other members of Congress in filing an amicus brief - a friend of the court brief - with the U.S. Supreme Court that supported the University of Michigan in its effort to defend the points system it uses for determining admission to that university. That point system gave some preference to groups who had historically been discriminated against in an effort to help them obtain an equal opportunity to attend that university. Our position ultimately prevailed with the High Court.

The Court’s decision to uphold our belief that diversity is a compelling national interest sent a strong message that equal opportunity in our educational and other institutions is an American value rooted in the rights guaranteed to all citizens. Economic and racial diversity in classrooms across the country is vital to the credibility and legitimacy of many professions, and further integration of college campuses achieves this crucial goal.

As your Senator, I will continue to fight to protect the basic civil rights of all Americans and uphold the principles upon which Affirmative Action was founded.