The Supreme Court recently ruled that colleges and universities can no longer consider race as a specific basis for granting admission— a landmark decision that overturned a major legal precedent that has benefited Black and Latinx students in higher education.
And while, according to CNN, the majority opinion “claims that the court was not expressly overturning prior cases authorizing race-based affirmative action” and did not “end race-based affirmative action in higher education,” the recent analysis will make it “practically impossible” for colleges and universities to consider race in ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to attend top colleges around the U.S.
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Supporters of the high court’s decision to roll back affirmative action efforts have argued that such programs are illegal, adding that colleges and universities should focus on “equal standards and merit.” Opponents of the ruling, like the NAACP and Lawyers For Civil Rights, are outraged, now challenging institutions to stop “legacy admissions'' — policies that favor white wealthy alumni. (Lawyers for Civil Rights has even filed a lawsuit specifically against Harvard University related to this.)
Experts are also exploring how the June 29 ruling will trickle into cases of affirmative action in other areas of education and, particularly, how the ruling will affect diversity and inclusion efforts related to employment.
But will the ruling take all of us 10 more steps back when it comes to diversity and inclusion–an issue that already includes strong elements of lackluster enforcement, gaslighting, and dangerous cliches?
Will corporations and other organizations now deem it appropriate to totally disregard the specific, fundamental benefits and integrity involved in deliberate efforts to recruit and hire Black and Brown professionals, especially in industries ravaged by diversity problems (hey, tech industry!)
According to The New York Times, the Supreme Court’s decision “opens the door for employees — and conservative activists — to bring legal challenges to those policies” and could “lead companies to alter recruitment and promotion practices to pre-empt legal challenges.” The Times also reports that more than 60 large companies, including automaker GM and Meta (the parent company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), have also “warned the Supreme Court that ending affirmative action in higher education would make it harder to build diverse workforces.”
We all know that when you’re a super-qualified, educated, and experienced Black professional denied a position that you’re clearly qualified for—yet see that a company’s About and LinkedIn pages include zero Black and Brown faces–there’s an inference of bias and big fodder for a discrimination lawsuit that could snowball into a class action suit that includes hundreds of job candidates.
And, according to Bloomberg Law, several major employers pushed for the high court to uphold affirmative action policies—which makes sense because corporate diversity and inclusion efforts at major corporations “often rely on college admissions programs that produce a diverse pipeline of qualified future workers and business leaders.”
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A few key voices offering opinions on all of this say there might be a silver lining when it comes to diversity in employment practices after the ruling. Companies that are truly committed to diversity and inclusion have leaders that have committed years of real action and receipts that reflect actual diversity and inclusion support and community-building resources at work, have Black and Hispanic professionals in top decision-making positions, and support initiatives that support the advancement and professional development of Black and Brown professionals.
However, Corporate America is still disproportionately unequal in many impactful and life-changing ways and still must work harder to ensure diversity and inclusion.
In the same way that some progressive companies adjusted to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, for example, providing alternative policies that support women in their choices in childbirth, experts are saying HR professionals and corporate heads who are supportive of diversity efforts will find alternatives. “Just like companies who provided employees with resources like travel expenses following last year’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, there will also be companies who will reimagine their DEI programs and potentially increase investment,” Neeta Mehta, a partner at executive search firm Bridge Partners, told Fortune in a statement.
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Other solutions are pointing to HBCUs, which are reportedly expecting an uptick in enrollment and recruitment after the ruling. “Our HBCUs are just as critical today as they ever have been, if not more," Hampton University’s NAACP president Gaylene Kanoyton told 13News Now. "We have historically, and we will always welcome any student who wants to walk through Hampton's doors.”
HBCUs are now “positioned” to fill the gap that the affirmative action ruling is expected to widen in educational opportunities. And while they aren’t the end-all-be-all solution to addressing the fallout of the ruling that has set equality efforts back tremendously, companies and small businesses still committed to diversity could do well by further supporting and recruiting from these institutions.
The Brookings Institute reports that “although HBCUs represent only 3% of all four-year institutions, they account for 10% of all matriculating Black students, and awarded 17% of all bachelor’s degrees and 24% of all STEM-related bachelor’s degrees to Black students in 2019.”
That being said, only time will tell what is next for diversity efforts and employment of Black and Brown professionals, especially women, who already face very unbalanced scales in pay, employment, and advancement. As lawsuits are sparked, activists and advocates continue their work to address the aftermath of the decision, and companies continue to struggle with current policies, the future of Black and Brown professionals remains one of mixed outcomes and potential.
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Now as far as how “common” it is, I’m not exactly sure. However, what I will say is that whenever I happen to share this concept with other individuals (clients included), 8 times outta 10, I basically get the same type of response. First, they look at me like I’m crazy, then they pause and reflect and then their mouth opens wide as if in shock that my sex-ex just may be onto something…BIG.
Now before we get into all of this, I’ll let you know, off the rip, that I can’t find an exact science to back his theory up specifically.
At the same time, though, there is other types of data surrounding the topic of sex and what it does to our minds that could cause you to believe that he’s not totally off base in thinking that a “sex clock” just might be an actual thing; that it’s something that hell, he should at do a Ted Talk — or YouTube video or Instagram Live — about so that more folks won’t think that they are going low-key insane should it happen to them.
Ah, sex clocks. Let me explain further.
This Is How Sex Affects Your Memory
GiphyIn order to lay some foundation here, let’s first talk about how sex affects your memory, in general. For starters, did you know that vagina-penis intercourse has actually been proven to improve both your learning capabilities as well as your memory (it also decreases anxiety and depression)? Probably the easiest way to explain how and why is when you engage in this type of sexual intimacy, it strengthens your hippocampus which is the part of your brain that is not only responsible for learning and memory but how you process emotions too. Okay, so intercourse between a man and a woman boosts memory power and also taps into one’s emotions. Bookmark that.
HuffPost published an article several years back entitled, “Sex And The Memory of Sexual Experience.” Two things that the article said was “Researchers are seeing that certain areas of the brain light up depending on the thoughts, actions and experiences of a person” and “The rush of 'love' chemicals; dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, opiates and other neurotransmitters, fill our body and brain quickly to produce the incredible feelings of love and attachment…” to the point where, if the action (in this case sex) happens several times, it can actually “codify” (makes plans or arrangements) your brain — and stays there.
Once that transpires, “our memories dictate how we will feel about a similar situation because our brain and body is coded from past experience.”
Now, if your brain can “code” the experience, don’t you think that it can also “code” the time when you were first introduced to the experience? Let’s keep going.
The Impact That Nostalgia Has on Your Sex Life
GiphyAh, nostalgia. If there’s one thing that is underestimated, far more than it ever should be when it comes to relationships, it’s that. In fact, I was recently in a counseling session with an engaged couple who happen to be each other’s first love.
What they are working through right now is if the potency of being each other’s first love is enough to get them through just how much they’ve changed since they first dated one another (chile, I totally get it; check out “What Happens When 'The One Who Got Away'...Comes Back?”). A part of the reason why it’s hard for them to process all of this clearly is because of the power of what nostalgia can actually do to a person.
Case in point. Although nostalgia — you know, reflecting on the past — can create warm fuzzies (if what happened in the past is good), it’s also the ultimate “editor” in the sense that, if you’re not careful, it can put you intoa state of denial about the entire experience. Not only that butnostalgia can get you to idealize situations too.
I totally get this because the guy who introduced me to the whole sex clock idea, although sex with him was pretty good (at least most of the time) and he actually was my first as far as certain types of sexual…umm…things…LOL, overall, he kind of was an ass yet because my memories of him would go to how he made me feel sexually first, whenever those texts would come, that would be the initial thing that I would think about — and if I did indulge him, it wasn’t until after a couple of weeks (or months) of copulation, with him, AGAIN, that I’d realize…”Ohhh, this is why I stopped sleeping with your ass…because you are an ass.” (Not mean or anything like that, just…selfish AF.)
Anyway, if you can relate on any level to what I’m saying here, just like the nostalgic memories of Thanksgiving or Christmas can do a real number on you every time the holiday season rolls around, why couldn’t the same thing happen if you recall the time of year when you had some amazing sex with someone and that month or season creeps back around too?
Yep. Bookmark all of this as well as we keep on going.Yes, Other Factors Play a Role in Your Peak Desires for Sex
GiphyIf you add to all of what I’ve already stated, the power of sexual chemistry — whew, chile. Definitely a part of the reason why some people tend to have a bigger sexual impact on us than others typically starts with sexual chemistry because that is all about the immediate physical attraction that you feel towards someone else — and that can’t be faked nor does it happen with just anyone.
Shoot, even when I reflect on my sexual past now, although I had pretty satisfying sex with about 75 percent of my partners, there are some who, to this day, are able to bring a certain smile to my face that others do not — and it’s because of the magnetic connection we shared and yes, having a deep mutual attraction definitely played a huge role in that.
If you then factor in the hormone levels/sex drive that you had at the time of engaging someone who you had a strong sexual connection with (for instance, if it’s someone from your 20s when most folks’ hormones are absolutely raging), the type of relationship that you had with that individual (for example, even if you weren’t officially together, they still made you laugh or feel safe or impacted you in a way that others didn’t or haven’t) and even if you take into account some of the other monumental things that may have been transpiring in your life at the time when you were being intimate with them.
Again, doesn’t it make sense that around the time when they first entered your world, sexually, your mind, body, and spirit may go back there and relive it all on some level, every time that time of year rolls around? Even if it’s just for a brief moment?
At Least Consider the Idea of a “Sex Clock” Before Taking Action
GiphyHmph. With all that has been covered, suddenly a “sex clock” makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean, even I will say that what’s truly wild about all of this is? Y’all, although the guy who brought it into my own psyche and I are pretty cool to this day, it’s been over two decades since we’ve messed around, and yet — a part of what caused me to even pitch this topic is because I thought about fall, how October is my favorite month of the year and yep, for a moment, he came to mind. Why? Because we started having sex in October. That damn sex clock.
So, when it comes to your own sex clock, just what should you do with this kind of information? I mean, you know how the saying goes: an ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure. Keeping that in mind, if you consider that memories, nostalgia, sexual chemistry, and your hormones are all science-based reasons to “crave” a blast from your past (pun intended and not intended), then when…whoever he is comes to your mind, now there is no need to overthink it or stress out about it. Maybe it’s just your sex clock alarm going off.
Acknowledge it. Woosah through it. And really ponder if replying to that text or DM is actually worth it.
Because sometimes alarms remind us to do something.
Other times? They warn us to wake up.
Especially when a (so-called) sex clock is involved, chile.
Feel me? Now, more than ever…I bet you do.
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