Charles Barkley wills $5 million to support Black students at Auburn University after affirmative action ruling

“That’s just my way of trying to make sure Auburn stays diverse,” Barkley says

NBA legend Charles Barkley has pledged to update his will to stipulate that $5 million previously dedicated to his alma mater, Auburn University, be used to support Black students in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in the college admissions process.

“In my will, I am leaving Auburn $5 million,” Barkley said on Friday, The Birmingham News reported.

“I’m going to change it to be just for scholarships for Black students. That’s just my way of trying to make sure Auburn stays diverse.”

As a result of Thursday’s landmark ruling, private and public institutions will no longer be allowed to consider race during the admissions process, as previously reported by theGrio.

The ruling comes after Students for Fair Admissions, led by conservative legal strategist Edward Blum, filed two lawsuits last fall alleging the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard University discriminated against white and Asian Americans while Black and Latino applicants were given preferential treatment.

Since Thursday, the ruling has received a wave of backlash from students, civil rights groups, prominent public figures and others who claim the removal of race-conscious affirmative action will make higher education less accessible and equitable to marginalized students who face systemic hurdles in their educational upbringing.

David Hinojosa, a litigator before the Supreme Court and director of the Educational Opportunities Project, condemned the decision on Thursday.

“Race-conscious policies were created to mitigate centuries of wrongdoings against people of color and to bring students of all races and backgrounds together,” Hinojosa said. “It is one of the greatest ironies that the Court has undermined such policies by holding UNC’s and Harvard’s programs unlawful.”

Barkley, who said Auburn has “always lacked diversity,” said he is specifically dedicating the $5 million to Black students who face financial hurdles, the report said.

“I’ve actually changed it to be used for kids from poor homes,” he said, adding that his phone was  “blowing up” after the ruling. 

“I was talking to my friends and said, ‘I need to make sure Black folks always have a place at Auburn. So, I’m gonna change my will and make it exclusive for Black students — all $5 million,” he told the outlet. “It’s just for me the right thing to do. I always want to make sure that Auburn’s diverse.”

theGrio’s Ashlee Banks contributed to this report.

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