John Walker: Arkansas Lottery Discriminates Against Black Students

The man who fought Little Rock schools for years in a desegregation lawsuit claims the new Arkansas Lottery discriminates against black students.

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“[Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.] would oppose the lottery and it’s government proceeds hypocritically given to those who already have,” Little Rock attorney John Walker said.

Walker says the scholarships soon to be awarded would require an ACT score of at least 19. But he says the average ACT score of black students in Arkansas is only 16.

Walker says, “So when you set that score, you know the likely number of people who will be able to met that qualification. On the other hand, the average act score of white students is 21. What this means is the state benefits will continue to flow disproportionately to white students to the detriment of black students.”

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Walker also said black students would not be able to benefit from Advanced Placement courses to boost their grade point, because those classes are full of white students.

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Statistics from the department of education confirm the average ACT score for Arkansas black students is 16.7.