Affirmative Action, Is It Really Fair?
Affirmative Action, Is It Really Fair?
In his address to the people of Nashville Tennessee in 1962, Martin Luther King Jr., said, “The image of God…is universally shared in equal portions by all men. There is no graded scale of essential worth. Every human being has etched in his personality the indelible stamp of the Creator… The worth of an individual does not lie in the measure of his intellect, his racial origin, or his social position. Human worth lies in relatedness to God Whenever this is recognized, ‘whiteness’ and ‘blackness’ pass away as determinants in a relationship and ‘son’ and ‘brother’ are substituted.” ( Washington 49).
Affirmative action is a government program that was designed to ensure that Blacks and other minorities enjoyed the same opportunities for promotions, salary increases, career advancement, school admissions, scholarships and financial aid that had been exclusively for whites. Some would argue that, this preferential treatment creates reverse discrimination and is harmful to our society. Even though affirmative action was designed to help Blacks and minorities, many view it as government sanctioned discrimination that should be eliminated.
Affirmative Action has outlived its usefulness. “For black people during the 1960’s there was a presumption of inferiority, affirmative action was the shock treatment to change our culture,” says Ward Connerly, one of the architects of the CCRI (California Civil Rights Initiative). According to Connerly, America is no longer the inherently racist society it was in the days of Jim Crow. Statistics cited by Stephan and Abigail Thernstrom, authors of “America in Black and White: One Nation, Indivisible,” appear to back Connerly’s notion that the situation for black Americans has vastly improved. According to the Thernstroms, 40 percent of black Americans now consider themselves members of the middle class. Forty-two percent own their own homes and almost a third of the black population lives in suburbia. (Grapes 6). Because the American dream is realizable for black people today, Ward Connerly argues that it is really hard to defend affirmative-action preferences. (Grapes 6).
Affirmative action is harmful to our society because it promotes racial preferences. In order to establish a color-blind society, people should be judged on their abilities, not the color of their skin. The American people are now beginning a great debate over the use of race and gender preferences by federal, state, and local governments. In 1996, a majority of voters in California, including 29 percent of Blacks, approved the California Civil Rights Initiative prohibiting preferential treatment in public employment, education, and contracting. (Grapes). In a series of cases, the Supreme Court and federal courts of appeal have made it clear that the system of preference is built on a exceedingly shaky foundation. (Grapes). These cases establish that racial classifications are presumptively unconstitutional and will be permitted only in extraordinary circumstances. In the future, Congress is likely to consider legislation to end the use of race and gender [next page]