Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action

Although many people believe that affirmative action gives an unfair advantage in education and the workforce, to minorities in the United States, this is very rarely the case. The attack on affirmative action is only the latest in a series of efforts to roll back the rights of people of color. Affirmative action puts no one at a disadvantage, and was created and intended for aiding the less fortunate. The history of the United States is laced with a racist legacy. From the 18th century, when slavery was first introduced, to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's and even today, minorities, particularly African Americans have been denied of racial equality. Though the pain and suffering of past generations of African Americans can never be forgotten, it can be prevented by affirmative action. Furthermore, if affirmative action is what it takes to achieve racial equality in the United States then those who oppose the process are inherently racist, without realizing it.

Affirmative action is a complex policy, designed to end discrimination in hiring, college admissions, and the awarding of contracts. Before the policy was instituted, blacks faced an inevitable treatment of "last hired, first fired." A black man could easily expect to lose his job to a white man, no matter how strong his qualifications. This concept of "white privilege," has been explored by many predominant thinkers. Peggy McIntosh points out that because of the color of their skin, whites will never understand what it is to experience racial pain and inequality. She provides examples of what she as a white person is freely able to do, and that these conditions do not always apply for members of other races. McIntosh points out that blacks are denied equal jobs, housing, wages, and education. More importantly, however, she explains how subtly racism exists today. McIntosh writes,

"I can turn on the television...and see people of my race widely represented. When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is. I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systematic racism for their own daily physical protection" (McIntosh).

Clearly these aspects of African American life should be enough to warrant the institution of affirmative action, so why is it that so many people oppose the process?

Many whites believe that affirmative action takes away their opportunities. One might argue that two students applying to college, one black and one white are viewed differently. Though both students may be equally qualified, the college accepts the black student, following affirmative action. The white student has been denied a place at that college, simply because of the color of his skin. Some might call this unfair, but in fact the black student is given an advantage that he would otherwise never have. The white student will almost certainly get into another college of equal rigor, and he will probably never face the hardships that the black student faces all the time. Cornel West discusses a similar situation:

"if Harvard College receives more than ten thousand applications for fourteen hundred slots in the freshman class and roughly four thousand meet the basic qualifications, how does one select the "worthy" ones?..when racial diversity is involved, the opponents of affirmative action yell foul play. Yet each class at Harvard remains about 5 to 7 percent black- far from a black takeover" (West 497).

West points out that even with affirmative action, blacks struggle to make a dent in the numbers of students and employees. Affirmative action is not the ideal solution by any means. However, given the racist legacy of the United States, it is the best. For close to 150 years, blacks in this country have endured inequality. Ideally it would be great if people could move beyond their inherent racism, but this is not the case. Julian Bond provides the perfect example of the black struggle, comparing affirmative action to a football game: whites vs. blacks. Bond writes,

"Look at it this way: it is the fourth quarter of a football game between the white team and the black team. The white team is ahead 145 to 3. They have been cheating since the game began. The white team owns the ball, the uniforms, the field, the goal posts, and the referees. All of a sudden the white quarterback, who suddenly feels badly about things which happened before he entered the game, turns to the black team and says: Ð''Hey, fellows, can't we just play fair'" (Bond)? What Bond points out is the major advantage that whites have had throughout the history of this nation.

Unfortunately, though the United States has made strides in its' attempt to diversify colleges and jobs, blacks still significantly lag behind whites in racial equality and proper treatment. In addition, as long as it is acceptable for colleges to accept students based on family legacies, affirmative action will be necessary. As Michael Kinsey points out, "The class of wealthy, influential children of alumni of top universities is disproportionately white. And it will remain that way for a long time if racial affirmative action is outlawed" (Kinsey). For blacks to be