Affirmative action

Affirmative action, the practice of giving preferential treatment to minorities in application processes, specifically for higher education, has garnered significant amounts of controversy in recent years. There are people who believe that we as a nation have sufficiently atoned for the racist and discriminatory policies and laws of the past. They argue that African American and Caucasian American students operate on a level playing field, and as such the use of affirmative action programs is…

student's SAT, GPA, extracurriculars, and community service. But within that priority pie of factors for admission, are race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Over the years, universities have adopted affirmative action while others have banned it. However, even though banning affirmative action may improve dropout rates and graduation percentages, it does not help the bigger problem: lack of diversity. Colleges should take into account these factors when choosing students for admission…

Affirmative action is a policy that was created to broaden opportunities for qualified minorities. The policy of affirmative action made it a requirement for employers to monitor hiring, promotions, and other policies to rid environments of discrimination against the minority. Those that support affirmative action see it as fair compensation for all that whites took from minorities in the past. In addition…

Affirmative Action: An Implication of Inferiority or a Source of Opportunity? Shelby Steele, a Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, begins his work, “Affirmative Action: The Price of Preference,” by explaining that affirmative action policies create a preference for individuals of color and intend to replace the historical exclusion and discrimination that has hurt them. This intention seems like a good-willed and appropriate form of compensation on the part of white…

When Affirmative Action first came into existence, it was not well received. A lot of scholars did not believe it was necessary. A scholar specifically named Thomas Sowell believed that Affirmative Action had a reversed outcome than what the creators had intended. He asserts that “Policies initiated to help the disadvantaged ended up helping the privileged within the preferred groups instead. Policies intended to insure intergroup harmony led to intergroup resentments and violence.” Also he…

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke Rose, 3 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke: Affirmative Action and Racial Quotas Abby Rose Liberty High School 3AB The famous court case of Regents of the University of CA v. Bakke has been a controversial court case dealing with affirmative action. Affirmative action usually is defined as special privileges or policies that favor a minority group or race. Even though the defendant, Allan Bakke, may have…

Affirmative Action’s Hidden Undertones Our world is constantly aiming its decisions among color, a simple matter that presides with too many hidden details. Specifically, the color of human flesh tends to dictate a large portion of society’s ‘rules’ or actions towards treatment of one another. Many people have adapted affirmative action to counter mistreatment of minorities despite its flaws. In a 2013 Princeton poll, it is stated that “two-thirds of Americans believe college applicants…

don’t think affirmative action policies should remain in place. These policies are an example of reverse discrimination. “All people are equal under the laws of the United States of America and should be treated accordingly.” People shouldn’t be given rights above others just because of their race, sex, religion, or ethnicity. I agree that race should play no role in the admission or acceptance of anyone. The best person for the job, regardless of race, should be chosen. Affirmative action…

Affirmative Action—the consideration of race in college admissions—allows colleges to admit students based on their race to increase campus diversity, even if their academic standing is not as high as other students applying to the university. A common fallacy is that minorities are underrepresented in higher education, and while this may be historically accurate, there is a new group that is losing the benefits of higher education—lower class students. By extending more opportunities to these…

Martin Luther King Jr. was sentenced to the Birmingham jail in 1963 for protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. While in jail, King reflected upon the different types of discrimination that was occurring throughout America and knew that changes needed to be made to promote equal opportunities for all people, regardless of race. While he was falsely confined in jail, he wrote the famous, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and described," Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice…