“I have a dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King uttered, “that one day…” Every child in America learns about this dream in school. We reminisce about his dream each year as we celebrate his life and legacy, and yet the great question is how do we fulfill this dream? Because upholding segregation is against the law, some argue that we have already achieved an equal “level playing field.” That was not Dr. King’s view; he understood and tried to teach us about the lasting scars of race in this society. The story of African-Americans started with two hundred and fifty years of slavery, followed by a hundred years of legal apartheid—a separate and unequal “public accommodations.” July 2014 will mark the legal ending of this era, only fifty years ago. It took a civil rights movement with the sacrifice of many lives and the heroism of many ordinary people to end legal apartheid in this country. What is the cure for 350 years of legal injustice? President Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon believed the answer was affirmative action. Affirmative action would unlock doors— to gain admission to college, jobs, mortgages, loans, and et cetera. The institution of affirmative action would not remedy past evils, yet it would at least create opportunity for future generations. However, affirmative action immediately generated negative reactions—and nowhere so fiercely than in college admissions. Why? Admissions are limited to number and are viewed as extremely important—opening the doors to life’s successes. If affirmative actions benefit minorities, then members of the majority will be discriminated against. The college and university admissions process should be re-evaluated and re-distinguished to benefit all in society. In most cases, affirmative action po... ... middle of paper ... ... rates of 18- to 24-year-olds in degree-granting institutions, by sex and race/ethnicity: 1967 through 2006. [Digest of Education Statistics] Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_195.asp Redhead, J. (1997, April 17). Jesse Jackson on prop. 209. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1997-04-17/local/me-49584_1_affirmative-action-whites-and-males-judge-thelton-henderson United States History (n.d.). Affirmative action. Retrieved April 21 from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1970.html Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2014, 19 April). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action Yuill, K. L. (2006). Richard Nixon and the rise of affirmative action: The pursuit of racial equality in an era of limits. Oxford, UK: Rowan & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
The issue of Affirmative Action, preferences towards persons of racial minorities to compensate for prior discrimination, in college admissions is a quite complicated one. Many sides must be explored to gain a better understanding of the theories and views on this issue. It is not easily answered with a yes or no. Since its inception, Affirmative Action’s use has been a major debate in American society. Many questions are left to be investigated. Many believe that we should live in a society where preferential treatment could be eliminated, and admission to college is based solely on one’s merit and character, yet this view seems quite unrealistic.
Last summer, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of race in the college admissions process in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas. Since then, affirmative action has become a big issue in the media; however, many people still do not even know what affirmative action is. Affirmative action is a policy to prevent discrimination on the basis of “color, religion, sex, or national origin.” Overall, it favors minorities that are often discriminated. It might sound like an excellent policy; however, the use of this policy in the college admissions process is prejudice. In the college admissions process, affirmative action lowers the standards for some races, while raising the standard for other races. For example, an Asian might need a SAT score of 2300 to be considered for admission at a top school such as Yale and a white applicant might need a score of 2100, while an African American or Hispanic only needs a score of 1700. While affirmative action provides equality in the workplace, it has no place in the college admissions process and should, therefore, be abolished and replaced. This type of policy can be repealed completely, replaced with a college admissions process that favors first generation college applicants, or replaced with a policy based on an applicant’s socioeconomic status.
Sitkoff, Harvard. "Affirmative action." Postwar America: A Student Companion. n.p., Oxford University Press. 2000. n.pag. eLibrary. ProQuest LLC. HAYFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL. 05 Sep 2009. .
Charles, Camille Z., et al. "Affirmative-Action Programs for Minority Students: Right in Theory, Wrong in Practice." The Chronicle of Higher Education 55.29 (2009). Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Aug. 2011.
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).
Lockheed, Marlaine. (1998) International Perspectives on Affirmative Action in the 1990s Educational Researcher, Vol. 27, No. 9, 6-7.
Skrentny, John David. The Ironies of Affirmative Action: Politics, Culture, and Justice in America. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Stewart, Chuck. "Affirmative Action: Overview." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 2 Jan. 2014.
Pojman, Louis P. "The Case Against Affirmative Action." Csus.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
McKenna, George, and Stanley Feingold. "Does Affirmative Action Advance Racial Equality?" Taking Sides. 18th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2013. N. pag. Print.
Known as one of the biggest obstacles in higher education to date would arguably be the use of affirmative action within the higher education admission process for both private and public institutions (Kaplin & Lee, 2014; Wang & Shulruf, 2012). The focus of current research is an attempt to either justify or deny the use of affirmative action within current practices through various higher education institutions, and though any one person could potentially be swayed to side with the rationale to maintain its use or disregard, the facts are quite clear that the future of this practice is unclear. Therefore, this essay will present current research in an attempt to determine if affirmative action should continue to be used within college admission decisions.
Discrimination is still a chronic global issue, and drastic inequalities still exist at the present time. Thus, the Affirmative Action Law is an important tool to many minorities most especially to women, and people of color, for the reason that this program provides an equality on educational, and professional opportunities for every qualified individual living in the United States. Without this program, a higher education would have been impossible for a “minority students” to attain. Additionally, without the Affirmative Action, a fair opportunity to have a higher-level career...
Today there is considerable disagreement in the country over Affirmative Action with the American people. MSNBC reported a record low in support for Affirmative Action with 45% in support and 45% opposing (Muller, 2013). The affirmative action programs have afforded all genders and races, exempting white males, a sense of optimism and an avenue to get the opportunities they normally would not be eligible for. This advantage includes admission in colleges or hiring preferences with public and private jobs; although Affirmative Action has never required quotas the government has initiated a benefits program for the schools and companies that elect to be diversified. The advantages that are received by the minorities’ only take into account skin color, gender, disability, etc., are what is recognized as discriminatory factors. What is viewed as racism to the majority is that there ar...
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, affirmative action is “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women.” However, despite its well-intentioned policies, it has been the source of much controversy over the years. Barbara Scott and Mary Ann Schwartz mention that “proponents of affirmative action argue that given that racism and discrimination are systemic problems, their solutions require institutional remedies such as those offered by affirmative action legislation” (298). Also, even though racism is no longer direct, indirect forms still exist in society and affirmative action helps direct. On the other hand, opponents to affirm...
The focus of this paper is on the history of affirmative action and its relevance to our society. Affirmative action focuses on the importance of equality and equal opportunity among all people in terms of education and employment. In coordination with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunities Act of 1972, the affirmative action policy was submitted by federal agencies. Is it not true that ethnic minorities do not have the same opportunities in life as whites, and that women should be entitled to the same opportunities as men? This act is only a means to help the less advantaged members of our society. In this case the less advantage would be those of color and women (www.infoplease.com).