Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In 1964, former President John F. Kennedy reacted to the civil unrest in America by implementing the policy of affirmative action. In his executive order, he stated that applicants who were applying to institutions of higher learning “were to be treated without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” (Hultin, Brenda Bautsch Suzanne) The definition of affirmative action according to Merriam Webster is, “an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women.” (“Affirmative Action.”) The policy does not guarantee that a person who is recruited will get into college, but it gives minorities an equal opportunity …show more content…
Affirmative action programs have made colleges and universities more representative of their surrounding community by doubling or tripling the number of minority applications. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, “Statistics show that after California abolished its affirmative action programs in 1998, the minority student admissions at UC Berkeley fell 61 percent, and minority admissions at UCLA fell 36 percent. After Texas abolished its affirmative action program in 1996, Rice University's freshman class had 46 percent fewer African-Americans and 22 percent fewer Hispanic students.” (Hultin, Brenda Bautsch Suzanne) Therefore, these groups of disenfranchised students have been and are still being encouraged not to go to college because of these actions. On the contrary, those who have gone through college on the path of affirmative action have positive remarks on the subject. “Graduates who benefited from affirmative action programs say that they have received better jobs, earned more money, and ultimately are living better lives because of the opportunity they received. (Hultin, Brenda Bautsch …show more content…
However, opponents argue that affirmative action causes reverse discrimination. In June, 2016, in the Supreme Court case of Fisher v. University of Texas, a white female student, Abigail Fisher, who claimed that she was denied admission into the University of Texas based upon her race. The court ruled however, “that admissions offices may continue to consider race as one factor among many in ensuring a diverse student body.” (Liptak, Adam) Therefore, affirmative action despite the opposition continues creates a beautiful scheme of diversity and bestows students from all ethnic groups with the opportunity to get a degree from a school of higher