Affirmative Action Necessary To Achieve Racial Equality

D’Angelo, Raymond and Herbert Douglas, eds. Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Race and Ethnicity, 7th edition (Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill, 2009). “Issue #19: Is Affirmative Action Necessary to Achieve Racial Equality in the United States?” Affirmative action is an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of member of minority groups and woman; also noted as an effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons. Affirmative action arose in 1964 as a way to fix the racial discrimination and to promote the rights that were declared in the Civil Right Act. In the 60’s, Americans who knew the potential of “equal protection of the laws” expected the United States government would uplift the promise
An African-American sociologist, Robert Staples, views affirmative action as a positive policy that will restore the rights for minorities and women. His views on American society are ones filled with racism. He states that he fears that the attack on affirmative action will cause white supremacy and the continuation of subordination for African Americans, women, and other minorities within the society. “Affirmative action is not a “black” program, but one that sets equal opportunities for minorities and
The first hole in the affirmative action program is called contract set asides. This happens when African Americans and Latinos turn in their contract, and the white man “sets them to the side” so that the minorities’ contracts don’t go through the whole process. Secondly, since there is a small percentage of an Indian heritage, those who have that ancestry can live as a white man, but with affirmative action treatment. It got to the point where so many white people were claiming to be of Native American decent and they were receiving benefits from it. Opponents of affirmative action wanted to remove the race and gender component from the equation and put socioeconomic status as its replacement. This was quickly shot down when realized that it is unfair to correlate race and gender to socioeconomic status. A poor white male shouldn’t be able to get a college education and get an average job when an African American and women have the same status, but with a difference in skin color. Without affirmative action, a color blind society is impossible. Affirmative action is a tool that if used properly can be very effective. Affirmative action is what needs to be done to gain respect for the colored people and women in the United