Affirmative Action Pros And Cons

Late in the 1950’s there was upset in the United States. Minority groups felt like they were being oppressed solely because of the one thing in them that made them different from the majority group.This commotion resulted in the creation of a program called ‘affirmative action.’ This program does not allow discrimination of any person who is a minority in the place of work or education. Affirmative action has not been without controversy, though. There are many people who believe this restricts people in the majority, and recently there was a Supreme Court case on it. Approximately 50 years after its creation, affirmative action has created an inclusive and positive space for minority groups to function.

First and foremost, affirmative action

According to “Race, Socioeconomic Status and Health: Complexities, Ongoing Challenges and Research Opportunities,” it is said that, “The data reveal remarkable increases in education over time with the percentage of blacks completing high school increasing fourfold from 20% in 1960 to 82% in 2006. Similarly, the percentage of whites completing high school doubled from 43% in 1960 to 86% in 2006. In 2006, the disparity between whites and blacks in high school graduation rates had narrowed dramatically from earlier years” (Williams). This data shows that not only a minority group has benefitted over time. Affirmative action may be targeting minority groups, but it is only doing that to help everyone be an educated, working member of society. Based on the capitalistic values that the United States of America holds, one cannot survive without some source of income. With the current standards that many businesses have, it is consequential that one have a college degree. Affirmative action makes it easier for those who could possibly be discriminated against get a

According to an article titled, “How Harvard Set the Model for Affirmative Action in College Admissions,” it is stated that, ‘“This kind of program treats each applicant as an individual in the admissions process,” Powell wrote. “The applicant who loses out on the last available seat to another candidate receiving a ‘plus’ on the basis of ethnic background will not have been foreclosed from all consideration for that seat simply because he was not the right color or had the wrong surname”’ (qtd. In Anderson). Harvard has been under a magnifying glass because of their high educational standards. This school provides a great place for other schools to model their admissions process of