In 1939, Billie Holiday recorded Strange Fruit, a searing depiction of lynching, written by Abel Meeropol. Two years later she released another haunting song “God Bless the Child.”

“God Bless the Child” is a classic, covered by Aretha Franklin, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and many others. It has many interpretations, from hope in a time of trouble, to self-reliance, or stewardship. In her autobiography Holiday says that she got the idea after approaching her mother for a loan. Despite being the birth mother and benefiting from her daughter’s financial assistance, she refused. Holiday shouted back: “God bless the child that’s got his own.”

One interpretation is that Blacks need to act for themselves, but that message rings hollow in the face of Jim Crow laws, analogues of which persist to this day.

For me, though, the song seems uncannily appropriate given the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action. There’e been much written about that decision, including perspectives from the Fourteenth Amendment, public policy, sociology, history, and education. But one thing that stands out is expressed in the song’s beginning:

Them that’s got shall get
Them that’s not shall lose
So the bible said and it still is news

One could argue that affirmative action has fallen short at increasing diversity or mitigating discrimination. But it’s been an important tool to lessen the reality of an unjust and racist society.

The decision leaves in place the myriad ways that our college admissions system perpetuates, even extends, racial injustice–legacy admissions, unequal funding of K-12 education, biased testing, access to sports, opaque pricing of colleges, healthcare inequities, to name just a few. These perpetuate wealth disparities as well as racial prejudice.

Holiday’s song reminds us:

Money, you’ve got lots of friends
They’re crowding around the door

A starkly politicized Supreme Court is doing its best to ignore the reality that Holiday sang about. It’s become a stalwart friend of Money and as Holiday says, “Empty pockets don’t ever make the grade.”

It seems that we’re back to offering crusts of bread, but only for those who stay in their place.

Rich relations give crusts of bread and such
You can help yourself, but don’t take too much