The "Bakke" decision marked a turning point in higher education. Tested again most recently in "Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin," affirmative action policy remains in place even as the Roberts Court shakes its foundation by demanding a degree of administrative oversight not pursued by previous Courts. In spite of Clarence Thomas' 1987 pronouncement to the contrary, the legal debate over affirmative action continues more than two decades later. Sound evaluation of this policy requires an understanding grounded in its history. Revisiting the debate over affirmative action requires a survey of the landscape for learning in the 1960s and 1970s. In this article, the author revisits affirmative action and higher education.