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The Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action

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Introduction
Affirmative action refers to policies that are instituted to regulate the allocation and distribution of positions that are scarce in sectors such as education, business contracting and employment. The main objective is to increase the representation of individuals in certain subgroups of the population in those positions. However, affirmative action policies have raised a lot of controversy as some groups oppose its implementation while other groups support its application. There has been a raging debate for over a decade between the supporters and critics of affirmative action to gain the moral high ground on the issue. The challenge between the two groups has been manifested in form of legal battles, legislations, courts of …show more content…

To begin with, affirmative action is important in federal contracting, voluntary affirmative action as well as court-ordered affirmative action. Considering federal contractors and affirmative action, the Executive Order 11246 of 1965 by president Johnson brought forth the first ever affirmative action policy. The Executive order and the amendments that followed applied to the federal government as well as any private organization that was involved in business transactions with the federal government. The plan for affirmative action according to the EO11246 comprises two varying components (Crosby, Iyer, Clayton & Downing 2003). To begin with, it requires that each institution should be able to monitor the statistics of its workforce taking note of the gender and ethnic groups that are underrepresented. When considering gender, the focus is on women as the underrepresented group. However, when considering ethnicity, the groups considered are; Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans. The order requires that for every job class within the institution, the contractor must determine the availability of individuals who are qualified. The availability of qualified personnel may be determined through consideration of such factors as the number of individuals from the underrepresented groups who meet the requisite skills. Additionally, the recruiter must be …show more content…

The use of strong preferential treatment towards the groups has also been forbidden by the Supreme Court. Such strong preferential treatment involves such actions as keeping of a separate applicants’ list as well as strict quotas. In fact affirmative action opponents constantly portray affirmative action policy as a trivial matter that involves preferential consideration. There are several means through which such underrepresentation can be remedied. For instance, the organization can actively recruit applicants from the groups classified as underrepresented. They can also formalize practices that involve personnel awareness such as posting of jobs so that individuals from all groups are made aware of job openings. In the event that there is blatant discrimination in the workforce, the court may be involved in setting target and proportions. However, this rarely occurs and it represents one of the circumstances that may necessitate the use of quotas to address the discrimination process and, therefore, accord opportunities to the

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Erica Beckman Duran English 1A 28 October 2015 Affirmative Action In Chapter Seven of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? , Beverly Tatum discusses affirmative action, an action that guarantees equal opportunity to all individuals, regardless of any circumstances (117). Tatum remarks on the history of affirmative action, in which it was introduced to language and our legal system by executive order 11246 by President Lyndon B. Johnson (1965), and obligated federal contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, religion, sex, or national origin” (116-117).

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“A series of legislative initiatives and decisions made by the Supreme Court of the United States defined the possibilities of affirmative action policy” (Finkelman, 2004). Affirmative action is such a controversial topic which has been brought up in many Supreme Court cases. In Griggs v. Duke Power case in 1971, the court argued “Title VII” bans “not only overt discrimination but also practices which are fair in form but discriminatory in operation.” (Finkelman, 2004). To eliminate discrimination processes under Title VII, all employers began to hire and recruit more minorities.

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Affirmative action means advancing gradually to eliminate discrimination, to prevent its reversion, and to offer new opportunities that before were repulsed to women and minorities. While recent studies have demonstrate that reverse discrimination is sporadic, sometimes employers use illegal preferences or quotas, usually an unwillingness to prepare an appropriate affirmative action plan or out of ignorance. Former President Johnson confessed “We seek…not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and a result.” Griggs v. Duke Power Company case is relevant for this argument. The plaintiff in Griggs’s case argued that the high school diploma and testing requirements discriminated against African-Americans and thus violated Title VII.

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Thus, often without realizing it, the United States has practiced what, in effect, was white affirmative action on a highly generous and widespread basis, followed by a much more modest program of black affirmative action. By understanding this history, we can come to terms with the widening gap between blacks and whites noted by Lyndon Johnson and with the incapacity of many blacks to be able to make good this gap in the following four decades (Katznelson,

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“Affirmative Action may not be a perfect system, but there should be no doubt that it has endangered many successes. It has opened the doors of America’s most elite educational institutions to minority students, granting them unprecedented opportunities” (Ogletree 12). Thanks to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson a policy that prohibits employment and education discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and sex is offered today to those who suffer from said discriminations (A Brief History). Affirmative action has opened abundant openings for minorities, allowing the cycle of going to college to be passed down generations and provided job opportunities that otherwise would not be considered by most. Affirmative

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So whenever I am given the opportunity to debate and reason with those who do not see eye to eye, I proudly inform, and aim to mend their view on the policy. This necessary band-aid (Affirmative Action), for a country that cannot seem to shake the horrors, of it's not so distant past, is seen with much opposition, however, the answer to this ludicracy may with the ignorance of the public, because when one is not informed of an issue or problem, they are then, morally withdrawn from guilt and responsibility.

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Introduction Affirmative Action is a set of programs and policies initiated in 1960s with the goal of providing equal employment and education opportunities for everyone in the United States regardless of their race, sex, color, creed, or national origin [1]. Initially Affirmative Action intended to overcome the past discriminations against African-Americans, and was followed by 1964’s Civil Rights Act. Later, women and other groups of underrepresented minorities (URMs) were added to Affirmative Action [2]. Affirmative Action includes a wide range of policies and programs from early stages of education to faculty positions and employment [3]. During the last half century of applying Affirmative Action policies most of the debates were focused

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Affirmative action has become obsolete in today’s society. Affirmative action is an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women; also: a similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons (Merriam-Webster, 2011). Today’s affirmative action will demoralize the very concepts that the policy was implemented to uphold: those of equality for all people regardless of color and discrimination. This policy supports racial multiplicity at the price of distinction, impartiality and experience; it also follows the line of reverse discrimination and sexual bias against white men (Reyna, Tucker, Korfmacher, & Henry, 2005).

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Support for Affirmative Action In 1955, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order prohibiting discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment in the federal government because of race, color, or national origin, laid the groundwork that evolved into something bigger and more controversial than anyone could imagine. Subsequently, in 1961, for the first time President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order that used the words “Affirmative Action”. This order marked the distinct departure point for policies designed solely to promote equal employment opportunities. Decades after the introduction of affirmative action in America, the affirmative action debate continues.

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