Affirmative Action

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Affirmative Action

• 1. Why it was started The earliest
  implementation of affirmative action policies,
  before Kennedy coined the phrase, began under
  President Franklin Roosevelt in the second World
  War. He banned discrimination in the government
  and those involved in "war-related" work.

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• Later, President Lyndon B. Johnson expanded on
  Kennedys order to include women and signed the
  Civil Rights Act into law. He explained the
  purpose of affirmative action in this speech to
  Howard University's 1965 graduating class
• "And this is the next and the more profound stage
  of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just
  freedom, but opportunity. We seek not just legal
  equity, but human ability not just equality as a
  right and a theory, but equality as a fact and
  equality as a result.

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• Less known, though, is that President Richard B.
  Nixon created goals and time frames around the
  legislation. "We would not impose quotas, but
  would require federal contractors to show
  affirmative action' to meet the goals of
  increasing minority employment," he wrote in his
  memoirs.

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• 2) Why it is controversial Quotas. The idea of a
  limited number of admissions or jobs for members
  of underrepresented groups and any type of
  preferential treatment runs counter to how we
  view our American dream, critics argue.
• That idea became central in the Massachusetts
  Senate race between Scott Brown and Elizabeth
  Warren. Warren was accused of using her Native
  American ancestry for jobs but has denied doing
  so.

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• In 1978, the landmark Regents of California v.
  Allan Bakke case made racial quotas
  unconstitutional. Bakke, a white student, sued
  after twice being denied admission to medical
  school, challenging the special admissions used
  to admit minority groups.

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• 3) How it's changed While affirmative action is
  usually spoken of in general terms, there is no
  singular policy or implementation of the ways in
  which affirmative action take shape in government
  organizations, colleges and corporations varies.
• Court cases continue to refine interpretations of
  how race is used at the university level. Some
  schools have experimented with a variety of ways
  of non-race-based models, like the Top 10 model
  that the University of Texas employs, to ensure
  the racial diversity of students.

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• 4) How we feel about it In a 2009 Pew poll, the
  majority of Americans supported affirmative
  action but strongly disagreed about minority
  preference. And while most African Americans
  (58) and Hispanics (53) agreed that minorities
  should get preferential treatment, only 22 of
  whites agreed.

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• 5) Where it exists Though quotas have been
  outlawed in the United States, the European Union
  has had a recent push to punish companies whose
  boards aren't composed of at least 40 women. And
  India, Brazil and Malaysia, among other
  countries, have laws and policies that address
  affirmative action in schools and throughout
  society.

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Random Funny Picture
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Arguments For Affirmative Action

• There has been discrimination in the past and
  affirmative action levels the playing field
• Affirmative action would increase minority
  representation in the workforce

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Pros for Affirmative Action cont

• Past discrimination has created an unequal
  society. Therefore, some minority classes have
  less income and fewer opportunities. Affirmative
  action would increase the number of opportunities
  available for minorities.
• Discrimination still exists! Our society is not
  yet totally colorblind.

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Pros of Affirmative Action cont

• Hiring different cultures would contribute to a
  diverse workforce
• Example Hiring a black police officer in a black
  neighborhood would be a great idea. Since the
  much of the population is black, a black officer
  would be able to easily relate to a black
  population.
• Wouldnt a black teen feel more comfortable
  talking to a black police officer?
• A diverse University would help students better
  learn by exposing them to different cultures and
  views.

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Arguments Against Affirmative Action

• Opponents of affirmative action say that
  affirmative action and its preferences have
  become a crippling crutch
• Some minorities may try to take advantage of
  their minority status. They may obtain a job,
  but not have the ability to do the job as well as
  a non-minority would because of affirmative
  action.

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Cons of Affirmative Action cont

• There is often a social stigma attached to
  affirmative action.
• Non-minorities may think a minority was hired
  just because the color of their skin or their
  gender.
• Affirmative action leads to increased color
  consciousness and racial hostility between
  groups.
• Affirmative action may create tension in the
  workplace and people may not be judged on merit.

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Cons of Affirmative Action cont

• Affirmative action and its race and gender
  classifications can harm those they intended to
  help by stigmatizing them, destroying their
  self-confidence while leading everyone to believe
  they cannot compete on their own merit.

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Cons of Affirmative Action cont

• The best, or most qualified person may not obtain
  a job, admission into a university, etc. because
  of affirmative action.
• Therefore, someone may score higher on an ACT or
  SAT test, but still lose admission to a higher
  education school of their choice because of
  affirmative action policies.

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Cons of Affirmative Action cont

• Some people argue that affirmative action may not
  be necessary because the trajectory of U.S.
  history shows that previously excluded persons
  are being increasingly included, so
  discrimination is not enough to require policies
  such as affirmative action, which have serious
  side effects.

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Concerning advantages going into college.

• In 2001 I found myself with the following
  disadvantages (college funds)
• Wasnt a Women (Auxiliary Scholarships)
• Wasnt a minority (Race based Scholarship)
• Wasnt an individual with a disability (Federal
  Credits for College)
• There was no weighted credit in my high school so
  my GPA didnt advance for taking more advanced
  classes. Oh ya and there was no College credit
  associated with those classes.

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Other disadvantages

• My parents were not below the poverty line, so I
  was exempt from receiving many federal grants for
  tuition costs.
• I was majoring in high school social studies
  education where there were few scholarships as
  compared to some other field of study like
  engineering.

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Advantages

• I had one parent who was a college graduate.
• My parents paid for my car, insurance, and
  taxing/licensing.
• I had free rent/food during the summer months.
• My parents paid 1000 for my rooming costs the
  first year, in exchange for me helping out at the
  farm during the weekends.

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Continued

• I received food from my parents from time to
  time.
• I was taught, by my parents, financial skills for
  planning ahead and saving for future needs as
  oppose to todays desires.

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