Adler University President Raymond E. Crossman, Ph.D., applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions that promote diversity, inclusion, and social justice in a message to students, faculty, and staff.

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision that protects Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) from being dismantled by the Trump administration. The decision is potentially life-saving news for the almost 700,000 young immigrants who came to the United States as children and hold DACA status. The DACA program provides work permits and protection from deportation.

This good news comes during a challenging public health and economic crisis – one that is showing us how much we all need to work together to keep our communities safe. More than 200,000 DACA recipients are frontline workers providing essential services. They are health care workers, educators, and food industry workers who are risking their lives to ensure the health and safety of the nation.

Adler University has advocated strongly in support of DACA recipients. Most recently, we joined 164 colleges and universities across the country to sign an amicus brief supporting DACA recipients for this Supreme Court case. While DACA recipients are protected from deportation for now, the Supreme Court’s decision does not completely remove the threat. The future of the program could be in jeopardy should the current administration try different avenues to dismantle the program. We will continue to advocate for DACA recipients at Adler University and all immigrants learning and working in our countries.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of the United States also affirmed that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ employees from discrimination in the workplace. The decision ensures that all LGBTQ employees are protected under the federal law, which is a remarkable step forward considering that nearly half of U.S. states have no legal protection for LGBTQ employees.

Both decisions are victories for everyone who stands for social justice – and rebukes of an administration built on division. While these decisions are steps in the right direction, we also know that they are coming at a time when the lives of Black and Brown Americans are jeopardized and devalued daily through police brutality and systemic racism. At the core of the administration’s stance against DACA is anti-immigrant xenophobia directed at people of color. Today’s decision does not negate the fact that this sentiment still exists among those in power. This is why we must continue to speak out, act up, and fight for social justice.

This week’s decisions have given me renewed hope that we can make progress toward a more just society – as well as renewed energy for the challenging work we must do to dismantle systemic racism, confront oppression, and repair injustice.