Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action

Khadija Abdallah

Affirmative Action: Blessing to Minorities or Burden to Society? Over the last forty-seven years, affirmative action has been on the forefront of the issue of race in the United States. Affirmative action is the legal term which was first used by President John F. Kennedy with the purpose to level the gap between blacks and whites within schools and the workplace (Erbe). In 1961, President Kennedy used affirmative action as a method of making up for the one hundred years of legalized discrimination within the states. Affirmative action obligates all universities and places of work to consider minorities during the selection processes of these companies, organizations, and schools (Erbe). Although the policy of affirmative action was an innovative idea for making sure that the disadvantages that were created in American history
It was based on the prestigious University of Michigan’s affirmative action policies which had started to stir trouble with in admission offices. Both of the cases were first brought to federal courts in 2000 and 2001. Both the University of Michigan's undergraduate program and its law school were represented in Grutter v. Bollinger. The Supreme Court maintained the University’s law school policy of affirmative action in a tough five to four ruling (Brunner). The judges ruled that race can be a factor in the selection process of students for college because it promotes "a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body." However, the court ruled six to three for a more mechanical approach to the University of Michigan's undergraduate admissions method. The University of Michigan uses a point system to rates students and used to give bonus points to minorities, after the ruling from the Supreme Court forced the institute to modify this system