Final answer:
Dorothy Clark was likely denied at Palmer due to racial discrimination, specifically because of her skin color. This discrimination was common during the era prior to the landmark case of Brown vs. the Board of Education, where segregation in education was challenged.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason Dorothy Clark was likely denied at Palmer can be inferred from a historical perspective on racial discrimination in the United States. Drawing from the available information, it's clear that discrimination based on skin color was commonplace and legally sanctioned in various forms until the Civil Rights Movement made significant strides in outlawing such practices. This included the segregation in educational institutions, which was a direct consequence of racist laws and societal biases. The Brown vs. the Board of Education case, aided by the research of social scientists Kenneth and Mamie Clark, helped demonstrate to the Supreme Court that segregation inflicted a sense of inferiority on minority students, showing the damaging effects of racial segregation. Furthermore, the arguments presented in the case involving Ms. Grutter and the University of Michigan Law School reflect ongoing debates about race and admissions policies. In this case, allegations of 'reverse discrimination' arose when Ms. Grutter, a white applicant, claimed she was denied admission despite her qualifications, due to affirmative action policies that favored minority applicants.