Thursday's landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down race-based college admissions prompted a predictable flinch and yet also implicit acceptance from higher ed in Colorado. It is that latter reaction — a willingness, however grudging, to move forward in heeding the high court's groundbreaking and long-overdue decision — that will best serve college-bound kids.

The court's crackdown on "affirmative action" — sacrosanct in the halls of ivy — drew an inevitable rebuke, as well, from some quarters of academia. Those presumably enlightened minds are of course missing the mark by selling short the enlightened minds of tomorrow.

Colorado's promising youth of every race do not need preferential policies based on their physical characteristics to excel in college or in life. Nor do they want to be defined — or limited — by those preferences.

As reported by The Gazette, Colorado's higher-ed campuses indicated they would modify their approach to racial-diversity goals to comply with the court decision, which found the race-based components of the admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional.

A joint press statement issued by University of Colorado President Todd Saliman and the chancellors of the CU system's four campuses at first blush seemed defiant. It scolded the court for a "misguided conclusion" that "threatens to undermine the progress we have made...to create access...and ensure a diverse learning environment for all."

But CU brass also pledged in the statement to, "work with our higher education institutions to revamp and innovate as to what policies can increase opportunities on campus." Good.

Less encouraging though perhaps unsurprising was how some Colorado academics interpreted the court ruling, as noted in The Gazette's report. One Colorado higher-ed institution's associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion, incredibly, even denounced efforts to look beyond race.

"As a woman of color, I cried this morning thinking about the validation of the concept of colorblindness," the official told The Gazette. "Colorblindness is a complete farce, but has essentially been sanctioned by this court. How terrifying and disappointing."

Perhaps we all can agree at least on this: talent, drive and sheer pluck know no racial boundaries. Those time-tested elements of success lie far deeper than the mere color of one's skin.

And let's all grant, as well, that plain luck sometimes plays a role in achieving one's dreams. Yes, success can hinge on being in the right place at the right time; life can be unfair. But good fortune also doesn't belong to any particular race or ethnic group. It's random.

To give students of some races a leg up or even a chance to cut in line in the admissions process is unfair — first and foremost, to those very students who are supposed to benefit. Affirmative action wrongly presumes those students don't have what it takes to succeed and stands to undermine the sense of initiative every student should have. It then doubles down by saddling those students with the stigma ever after of having received "preferential treatment."

Which is to say affirmative action's use of racism to fight racism not only is paradoxically wrong in principle but also backfires in practice.

Colorblindness a "farce"? It is in fact liberation for all the bright minds, regardless of color, who will usher in tomorrow's scientific breakthroughs, tech innovations, cultural milestones, political reforms and much, much more.

Let's all welcome a colorblind Colorado. Our future depends on it.

REPRINTED FROM THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE

Photo credit: Charles DeLoye at Unsplash