The teen protested the university but didn’t even meet the academic requirements!
Brooke Kimbrough, an 17-year-old high school senior, always dreamed of attending the University of Michigan. But when she received her rejection letter in the mail this spring, Kimbrough took an unusual step: she held a news conference and rally at the campus to protest the decision.
Via HuffPo reports: “I fervently believe in black equality,” Kimbrough explained in a statement. “I believe that our public university system should provide a pathway for opportunity for underrepresented minority communities. I am appealing my application to the University of Michigan not only for myself, but for other black and minority students who deserve the equal opportunity to go to the best public university in the nation.”
Kimbrough, a senior at University Preparatory Academy in Detroit, says she’s taking a stand on behalf of other minority applicants to the elite public university, located in Ann Arbor, Mich. Less than 5 percent of the student body is African-American; of the state’s total population, more than 14 percent are black, according to the 2012 U.S. Census. At the rally Tuesday, Kimbrough also promised to publicize more rejection letters from minority students until her public appeal for a spot in next fall’s freshman class is granted.
“I have left the plantation to get my freedom but I am coming back for you too,” she said in a video posted by Fox 2 Detroit. Kimbrough says she carried a 3.6 GPA and scored a 23 out of 36 on the ACT standardized test. She applied through U-M’s early action program and was given a deferred admission decision prior to her subsequent denial. The Michigan Daily notes that her scores are below average when compared to the university’s fall 2013 class, which achieved an average GPA of a 3.85 and an average ACT score range of 29 to 33. U-M is currently ranked 28th among national universities in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges list.
The high school senior points to her achievements outside of the classroom: she’s part of University Prep’s award-winning debate team, president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter, and took part in a youth leadership program at Alternatives for Girls, a Detroit nonprofit. Kimbrough is backed by the civil rights activist group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN).
Three other Metro Detroit students also attended the news conference and protest to share their stories. “It frustrates me when I’m actually trying to do something, bring this over to the University and show them that, ‘Yes, you can still come from this kind of area with one parent at that home and not a lot of money coming in every year, but you can still be somebody,’” Kimbrough said, according to a Michigan Daily report. The university has certain requirements that she doesn’t meet. Why does she not understand that? Affirmative action is WRONG in every aspect of life. She’s smart enough to know that. Or not