When the first set was over, I was tickled to hear Mr. Hargress introduce Mr. Goodson to two young men who were, Mr. Hargress said, “from Columbia.” Although Mr. Goodson had attended Columbia College decades ago, it was obviously still a strong part of his identity. Mr. Goodson’s was one of many stories — some success stories, others bittersweet — that I heard while researching a project on college admissions during the early years of affirmative action. My job was not to decide whether affirmative action was a success or a failure. I interviewed historians, read archival news stories and pored through college directories at the library before deciding on Columbia’s Class of 1973. With that in mind, I interviewed Enrico Melson, now a doctor in Los Angeles.

Source: New York Times April 04, 2019 19:30 UTC