College is a privilege that is now accessible to many people. It has not always been this way though. Lack of money, being deprived of representation, or racism hindered one’s chances in to getting into higher education, especially a minority’s chance. In order to raise against the barriers, President John F. Kennedy created the affirmative action program to provide equal opportunities for everyone, whether in education or in the workforce. Even if this was a program created in the 1960’s, problems continue to present itself as shown through the many court cases, such as Brown vs. Board of Education, Fisher vs. University of Texas, Grutter vs. Bollinger et al, and Hopwood vs. State of Texas. Thus, racial inequality and affirmative action …show more content…
It is the way that provides everyone with an opportunity, an opportunity to achieve their American dream.
Though, on the flip side, the American dream would not be available to all with affirmative action. This program diminishes the opportunities for whites to achieve their dreams. From education to the workforce, affirmative action holds bias towards minorities over Caucasians. Despite being “more qualified,” the whites are not placed into certain colleges or workplaces because of race. Even if a Caucasian student receives a near perfect score on the SAT, a student being of color would be the same equivalence. In addition to this, the affirmative action’s policies give minority applicants a minor self-confidence that they do not need to perform better than their white counterparts, just racially distinguishable. This shows that affirmative action does not focus on abilities but rather demographics, thus, showing the controversy with this program today. Above all, affirmative action violates the Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment forbids the states to restrict the basic rights of citizens to equal opportunities. However, accepting certain groups of applicants over others due to race proves that affirmative action endorses racism. Therefore, how is the program equal if only race is the factor? How can this program be equality for all, if the whites are being discriminated against?
My response to this? I still believe affirmative action is necessary.
Is affirmative action in higher education needed? This question provokes a myriad of emotions. Is affirmative action antiquated and unneeded in 21st century America? Or are the racial boundaries of this country’s ancestors still in effect? America’s Declaration of Independence states, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” yet quotas, check marks, and plus factors give minority students advantages in the admission processes of the country’s universities and colleges (NARA).
Today, African American students are under-represented in college and universities, and the reason is the ongoing disenfranchisement of African American students. Our education system needs be more responsive and needs to pay more attention to the college preparation for these students. People of color historically have been misrepresented, exploited, silenced, and taken for granted in education research (Dillard, 2000; Stanfield, 1995), (H. Richard Milner IV, 2008).
Affirmative action which in the book has been defined as “those actions appropriate to overcome the effects of past or present practices, polices, or other barriers to equal employment opportunity (Konopaske, 2013). In the book it touched mostly on the past and just hiring of minorities and women. I believe the issue is no longer hiring minorities and women but the promotion of minorities and women and equal pay. Only 1% of the nation’s Fortune 500 CEOs are black. Only 4% are women. And not a single one is openly gay (Clark, 2013).
Another major predicament that plays a large role in the amount of African Americans that do not receive a higher education is once they get to college, they do not have a typical or enjoyable experience once there. In today’s society, it is hard to imagine that there is still racism and segregation in schools and colleges today but the reality is, it still does very much exist. This is especially true when black students attend predominantly white universities. Even though most colleges promote themselves by talking about how diverse their
The equal opportunity that affirmative action provides has also increased the amount of minority applicants applying to each school. It has “resulted in doubling or tripling the number of minority applications to colleges or universities, and have made colleges and universities more representative of their surrounding community” (Messerli). Since the playing field has been evened, it has encouraged more of those who are disadvantaged because of their ethnicity to apply for and get admitted into college. However, the quotas cause schools to admit under qualified students of minor races who don’t meet the limit over highly qualified students who’s race has reached the limit.
Affirmative Action has had a very tumultuous 54-year history. Affirmative action was a strategy that forged the Civil Rights Movement in response to the prejudiced approach toward African American citizens in the United States. The policy advocates that black citizens in particular conditions to avoid the unfairness they would usually receive. To try and explain why the methods and laws needed to be adjusted to be equal for everyone. It is essential to realize that 20 Africans came to America in 1619, records are not clear if they were slaves or indentured servants. It was until 1640 when the first African in Jamestown Virginia was declared a slave. The Court ordered that the slave had to serve his master for the rest of his life. The slaves made to work long hours and numerous slaves’ endured inhuman treatment and underwent severe injuries. American citizens in the South challenged a lengthy campaign to seek to continue to be permitted to own slaves but through Lincoln and abolitionist slave-owning was ultimately banished.
The US is a melting pot with various groups of immigration such as: Asian American, Jewish American, African American, and Mexican Ame. Minority groups have experienced many kinds of segregation. They are discriminated in education and employment. Then, a program called “Affirmative Action” was introduced with the hope to engage more people of color into the society.
Affirmative action was put in place to give minority groups like African Americans, Latinos, and women, who were historically discriminated against in the past, special access to jobs and education. And I can understand the purpose of this several years ago; there were very little to no opportunities for these groups. Affirmative action provided programs to these groups that weren’t available otherwise. But in the 21st century, things are very different. Although racism is still an issue in our country, it’s nothing like it used to be. And there are far more opportunities
So said one of the world’s most renown orators in his fight for racial equality. Eighty-five years later humanity continues to fight this battle in the attempt to end discrimination and its effects once and for all. Through affirmative action, America assumes it is progressing towards this ideal world; however, what many proponents fail to realize is that the policy ineffective and even flawed in its basic reasoning. While created for an admirable cause, ending racism and its long-lasting effects, affirmative action has actually harmed the minorities it was made to help, worsening the nation’s workforce simultaneously.
Discrimination and segregation have been inbred into America’s history from day one. Therefore, there have been many laws and bills passed to break down barriers between privileged whites and unfortunate minorities. Among these government actions are the 14th Amendment, Equal Pay Act, and the Civil Rights Acts. John F. Kennedy perhaps created one of the most heavily debated policies today, his Affirmative Action Policy. Affirmative action is defined as, “the practice of improving the educational and job opportunities of members of groups that have not been treated fairly in the past because of their race, sex, etc.” (“Definition of AFFIRMATIVE” 1). The definition itself is vague and open for a good deal of interpretation which causes much of today’s debates. The most recent interpretation of Affirmative Action came from the Fisher vs. University of Texas at Austin (UT of Austin). Fisher was a white individual who was denied acceptance into the university, and then filed a lawsuit against them. Fisher lost the case at the Supreme Court level in 2013, but the case returned in 2016 again with a much closer vote, so affirmative action is losing some of its power and will continue to be challenged for years to come, but is it worth the challenge (Kut.org 1)? Affirmative Action has served a vital role in the integration of race into universities and the workforce, but now it is outdated and an unnecessary requirement for schools and businesses.
On March 6, 1961 President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925, which included a provision that government contractors "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” Affirmative Action policies have always been controversial, largely because of the allegation that they cause employers to give preference in hiring to less-qualified minorities or females over more-qualified white males.
Affirmative action has been one of the most effective tools to correct a history of inequalities in our nation’s history against people of color and women. The huge advances made during Civil Rights era still has not completely eradicated centuries of sexism and racism. Opportunities for advancement for those previously omitted remain few and far between in comparison to their counterparts. Race and gender are not, nor should they be, the only selection measure but they do warrant to be one of the many influences considered in college admissions, hiring, and awarding of grants and other forms of financial aid. Many prestigious and well regarded school universities such as Harvard and Stanford have been at the forefront of this ideal. Nonetheless, affirmative action remains a heavily contested social issue in the United States.
Racial inequality is an issue America has been struggling with since the beginning of the thirteen colonies and is still around to haunt Americans today. The United States most ugly blemishes in history have came from racial discrimination; from the slavery of African Americans and the internment of Japanese Americans, to the Trail of Tears and the Native Americans. Almost two hundred and fifty years after America’s independence unfair race relations still fill the atmosphere.
When listening to Dr. Bankston III speaking about Affirmative Action and Socioeconomic Mobility. Some question what is Affirmative Action and why must it exist? It can be used in a variety of different situations. Affirmative action is the policy of giving special consideration to minorities and women. This policy is used to prevent discrimination and to level the playing field. Dr. Bankston gave numerous reasons to why affirmative action needs to be used, because it reverses the negative effects caused by years of discrimination, there is also just as many arguments against affirmative action as in favor of it. A young lady at the seminar asked a question about the Education system and why it is what it is today. I think because, we run our
As a testament to the next discussion point of opportunities, especially within the realm of college admission, I have experienced firsthand the opportunities presented by affirmative action. As a low-income, first-generation college student, Virginia Tech had offered me a full scholarship based solely on merit and financial need. As a “minority” according to Virginia Tech, I had an