I think similar logic to the paradox of tolerance may be applicable here...

It wasn't a perfect solution, but directly correcting the proportions affected by the systemic problem (using same or similar discriminators as the actual problem) was progress in the right direction. That bigot's opinion goes the exact wrong direction; the goal should have been to reach a point where there isn't enough scarcity in higher education for anyone to "lose out". In other words, the policy should try to make itself unnecessary.

I don't claim to have the solution to systemic racism, but I wouldn't be surprised if a reversal of the last half-century's anti-education trends did a lot of the legwork on that by itself. And if there are still systemic issues to address, hey! Now you have a whole lot more educated folks to help figure out what to do from there.