Affirmative Action Programs example essay topic

The African American experience in the United States is one that could almost be described as irreparable. The African American debut in this country was one that started off as foul as a situation could be. The slavery experience ranks amongst some of the most inhumane eras in the history of mankind. The settlers in the colonies viewed Africans as only 3/5 ths of a man and used Africans as tools, or pets, as opposed to acknowledging them as real thinking, loving, feeling human beings.

Amazingly so, African Americans were able to advance in this society to a plateau in which we are now, by definition, accepted as equals. Racism still exists in many social institutions and mindsets of our citizens, but opportunity now is vast, compared to how it was over time. With the well documented existence of racism, there has to be an option that levels the playing field for African Americans. That equalizer is affirmative action. Affirmative action is a policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment.

In addition to providing equal opportunity, affirmative action also serves as a form of reparation for the actions by white America in the past. With the advancement of African Americans in this society, some argue that affirmative action actually is a way to declare inferiority of the black people, and holds African Americans back in terms of progress in the nation. Others argue that it is the only way that the African American person can receive fair treatment in a nation that is still blinded by prejudice. Affirmative action is a crucial debate that has no finite solution. Even if it is granted, there will still be those who view it as a cop-out or "crutch" for African Americans and other minorities. This reason is why affirmative action serves as a double-edged sword.

Although the notion of affirmative action serves as a double-edged sword, affirmative action in the 21st century is headed in a direction that will benefit African Americans economically, throughout the venues of employment, income, education, and social status; and by doing so, affirmative action has definitely served as a pivotal method to assuage and suppress racism and prejudice in these United States. Affirmative action is a staple in today's American employment system, but there was a long road to achieve this right. Affirmative action was first formally introduced in the heat of the civil rights movements. African Americans were struggling hard enough to get basic equal rights as is, but this was still created to officially provide equality. On March 6, 1961, "President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order 10925, which creates the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandates that projects financed with federal funds 'take affirmative action' to ensure that hiring and employment practices are free of racial bias". Later, President Lyndon Johnson went on to sign the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination of all kinds backed on race, color, religion, or national origin.

This was one of the most groundbreaking power moves in the civil rights struggle to date. On June 4, 1965, in an eloquent speech to the graduating class at Howard University, President Johnson frames the concept underlying affirmative action, asserting that civil rights laws alone are not enough to remedy discrimination: 'You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: 'now, you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please. ' You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, 'you are free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe you have been completely fair... This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity-not just legal equity but human ability-not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result. ' (A.A. Timeline, 2005) This was the mission of affirmative action and there were many bouts in the future that argued for, and against these principles. Ultimately, it led to a totally different shape up employment in the US.

Employment for minorities has grown over the years since the start of affirmative action in number. Affirmative action encourages more numerous and more diverse people in the job industry. Affirmative action promotes equality for all Americans and does not discriminate for race, or gender or religion. As it relates to minorities, the statistics show that more minorities hold jobs in the workforce than before affirmative action was started. This is mostly due to the fact that the number of minorities in the country is steadily increasing, and there are equal rights now. In addition to more jobs occurring, the quality of the jobs is increasing year by year.

As minorities in this country steadily increase in number, they are in the process of gaining positions of power. This trend is something to make note of in the upcoming years of our country. Looking back at the past, we can pattern some of the trends of the workplace. According to the Affirmative Action Review, which was submitted in 1995 to the Clinton staff, "The Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) administers Executive Order 11246, which imposes nondiscrimination and affirmative action obligations on most firms that contract to do business with the Federal government. According to five academic studies, active enforcement by OFCCP during the 1970's caused government contractors to moderately increase their hiring of minority workers (A. A Empirical Research, 1995). The 1970's was shortly after the actual initiation of affirmative action, so change had began to take place already.

It went on to note a statistic that, "According to one study, for example, the employment share of black males in contractor firms increased from 5.8 percent in 1974 to 6.7 percent in 1980. In non-contractor firms, the black male share increased more modestly, from 5.3 percent to 5.9 percent. For white males, the employment share fell from 58.3 percent to 53.3 percent in contractor firms, and from 44.8 percent to 41.3 percent in non-contractor firms (A. A Empirical Research, 1995). For this reason, the decline in white employment, both in the contractor and non contractor firms caused a reformation in the policy of affirmative action, as noted: "OFCCP enforcement was greatly scaled back during the 1980's.

For example, the real budget and staffing for affirmative action programs was reduced after 1980. Over the same period, fewer administrative complaints were filed and back-pay awards were phased out. Perhaps not surprisingly, available evidence suggests that OFCCP did not have a noticeable impact on the hiring of minority workers by contractor firms in the early and mid 1980's. (A. A Empirical Research, 1995) The salaries of minorities have increased with the rise in job quality since the origin of affirmative action, but it has been a roller coaster ride. Due to the fact that more high paying jobs are being offered, minorities have the chance to make more money. In previous times, minorities were more-so confined to low-waged, and blue collar jobs. Now-a-days, more and more, you can find minorities in government and corporate positions.

Colin Powell, or Condeleza Rice are perfect examples of African Americans in high power positions. Charting back, a statistic shows these truths that show it has been someone of a roller coaster ride in terms of salary comparison: "The ratio of the average black workers' earnings to the average white workers' earnings increased significantly in the 1940's, increased slightly if at all in the 1950's, increased significantly between 1960 and the mid 1970's, and declined somewhat since the late 1970's (A. A Empirical Research, 1995). However, when you analyze this data, you can early note that between the 60's and 70's is when the affirmative action era took-off. From the mid 1970's until is when things would have leveled off because the initial impact was no longer there, and government had scaled back of policy. As far as Hispanics, "Hispanic men earn 81 percent of the wages earned by white men at the same education level. Hispanic women earn less than 65 percent of the income earned by white men with the same education level" (A. A Empirical Research, 1995).

"There has not been an improvement in the employment-population rate of black workers relative to whites since the 1960's. If anything, there has been deterioration in the relative employment-population rate". (A. A Empirical Research, 1995) Though this information is doc, there are other factors that play major roles in that scenario, such as violence in the black community, and poor educational structures. The quality of one's job depends on his or her educational background. Black workers historically have had much lower education than white workers. This statistic notes these differences. "Adjusting for racial differences in education and work experience can account for about half of the wage gap between black men and white men, and about one-third of the gap between black women and white women.

Additionally, holding constant differences in individuals' test scores leads to a further reduction in the black-white earnings gap. For example, in one study, in 1991, black males earned 29 percent less than white males without any adjustments, 15 percent less after adjusting for education and experience, and 9 percent less after additionally adjusting for test scores. For women, the gap declines from 14 percent to almost zero after making these adjustments. (A. A Empirical Research, 1995) There is some controversy as to how to interpret the black-white wage gap after holding constant differences in education, test scores, and other variables. There are often arguments that show that tests are biased, or not geared towards African Americans, which may be the reason they score lower on tests. In particular, differences in test scores could be a result of many factors. "Thus, the reduction in the racial gap after controlling for these factors may not mean that discrimination is any less, but it may mean that attention should also focus on discrimination prior to entry into the labor market.

Historically there have been great differences in the quality of education between black and white students. In South Carolina in 1920, for example, black students attended schools with class sizes twice those of white schools. Partly as a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and the Green decision, schools became increasingly integrated in the late 1960's. The improvement in the quality and quantity of education of black workers since the 1960's accounts for about 20 percent of the gain in black workers' relative earnings. (A. A Empirical Research, 1995) "There is near-unanimous consensus among economists that the government anti-discrimination programs beginning in 1964 contributed to the improved income of African Americans. Nevertheless, it is difficult to draw conclusions about which specific anti-discrimination programs were most effective. And it may well be that the programs collectively helped even though no single program was overwhelmingly effective. (ibid) "Opponents of affirmative action say that it promotes racism because it gives the impression that minorities cannot use their own capabilities to move up the latter of the economic society, but they need assistance in doing it.

Affirmative action promotes the idea that one race is superior to another. These opponents argue that if minorities truly want to show that they are equals, then they must disregard the idea of using government assistance and move their own way towards success. In the fashion, it does promote racism. For example, if a black person is a new addition to a corporate job, a white co-worker might assume that the only reason that African American man got that job was because he was a product of affirmative action.

In this fashion, it shows that affirmative action is a scape-goat to hard work and the American struggle. It does make sense that affirmative action should be void because of the underlying assumptions that some people have, but you cannot just nullify the struggle that minorities, especially African Americans have endured over the years. Affirmative action is the least that mainstream America can do to make up for that heinous black-eye on American history. The effect that affirmative action has on racism is one that can only be deductively inferred through observation and analysis.

There is no true way to measure racism because racism is a feeling, or view, which is held by individual people. Racism is viewed by some as an idea that is insensitive and taboo in today's modern-day society, so if someone does hold racist or prejudice views, then they may not always express it. In fact, a lot of racist acts take place in discreet or unchartered fashions. Although racism is clearly viewed as politically incorrect, the ideology of it is very much alive. Racism exists in all areas of the country, and in some areas in the southern region of the United States, you can find it to be even more blatant.

However, it can be noted that affirmative action has given minorities the opportunity to show that they can in fact do things that the average racist may accuse them of not being capable to doing. Some people truly believe that one race can be inferior to another, and also that some races are confined to only being good at certain skill sets. African Americans, for example, started out as cotton pickers in this country, and were not thought to have any type of real intellectual talent. In actuality, education was denied to African Americans in this country, so African Americans never had a valid opportunity to learn any quality work oriented skills. Essentially, affirmative action has done more to eliminate racism than it has to promote it. The opportunity that affirmative action gives is the ability to prove ignorant theories such as the aforementioned ones wrong.

Without this required opportunity, some managers or supervisors who hold biased or ignorant views would be too blind to even offer that opportunity. It may not even be that the manager, or boss is blind, but he just may not be familiar with the ethnicity of that person. If a boss is only exposed to stereotypes that are portrayed by the media, then what more can a person who's hiring do, than have those images in his or her head when hiring. Once a quality worker gets in the workforce, he or she has the chance to showcase his or her talent - a chance that he or she may not have had without an equal playing field. This also allowed for many races to work interactively to provide a more wide stream frame of thought. The more backgrounds one has, the more diverse options one presents his or her organization with.

Networking is a clear benefit of what can come out of having multiple backgrounds in a given situation. It proves for more well-rounded individuals. More well-rounded individuals make for a society that can work collectively in accordance with each other, ultimately making a stronger society. Essentially, affirmative action is a doorway that lets racism walk out and cooperation and productivity walk in. Once an employer sees that someone of another race and background is competent in doing work, then they would be forced to give up their racist views (if they were grounded upon ability) and must acknowledge his or her own fallacies. If they maintain their views still, then that is just a personal stubbornness that is rooted within their psyche.

One study shows that, "There is no systematic qualitative evidence that productivity is lower in contracting firms as a result of OFCCP. The one systematic study found that contractors do not appear to have lower productivity, suggesting that OFCCP has not caused firms to hire or promote less qualified workers". (A. A Empirical Research, 1995) Affirmative action presents a case where the continuation or demise of racism depends on the minority who is the main character in the situation. If someone comes into the office and already has stereotypes against them, and he or she does not perform, then that may perpetuate racism. If one comes into an office and he or she excels and is above the others in the office, then it will be understood that this person did not get here just because they are a minority, but because they are capable. These reasons are why one must acknowledge the fact that affirmative action suppresses racism and eliminates it, simply because it does the least it can do, in providing opportunity-opportunity that was not always given in a more racist society, but is offered today. In the 21st century, affirmative action should stay in place, and will contribute to the advancement of minorities.

The actual advancement depends, not on policy, but on the initiative of those involved.

Bibliography

Brunner, Borgia, Timeline of Affirmative Action Milestones (2005).
web White House Staff (1995).