Alabama governor George Wallace infamously proclaimed “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” and stood in the schoolhouse door to try to block the integration of the University of Alabama in defiance of the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling and other court orders. Harvard University is a bit more subtle. …

Harvard has now unveiled a drastically overhauled application process for the 2023–24 admissions cycle, replacing an optional non-word-limited essay on any topic of the student’s choice with five required 200-word-limit essay answers to specific questions. The first question reads: “Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?”

Students applying to Harvard are smart enough to understand the obvious allusion to the Court’s decision, and thus also smart enough to understand how the reference to “a diverse student body” makes crystal clear which “life experiences” Harvard insists on hearing about from every applicant. And the 200-word limit does not allow enough space to develop how “that student’s courage and determination” in overcoming discrimination is “tied to that student’s unique ability to contribute to the university.” Harvard might as well have written: “Tell us your race in 200 words or less.”