Affirmative Action Programs example essay topic

459 words
Affirmative Action Affirmative action means taking positive steps to open the doors of education, employment, and business development opportunities to fit women and people of color. The to affirmative action is to make sure that women and minorities are represented in every organization levels. The word affirmative action refers to race, sex, and has effects on discrimination. Affirmative action allows women and minorities to represent in all occupations at all organizational levels. Under these new laws, all individuals of protected classes had a chance to be represented at all organizational levels. Prior to these laws, the white male dominated the workforce.

Although still somewhat white male dominated, quotas that were designed through affirmative action programs have helped achieve some representation of women and minorities in the current workforce. While the view society has may vary from mine, a large percentage of the population served feels that representation should be more equally balanced and that employees would be more knowledgeable of there circumstances. Nye states 'that positive information regarding an employee's job qualifications should minimize assumptions of incompetence associated with affirmative action hiring programs. The principle is that ability, qualifications, and merit, independent of race, national origin, or sex should prevail when one applies for a job or promotion, or for selective institutions for higher education, or when one bids for contracts. The reality is that strict adherence to this principle would result in few African Americans getting jobs, admissions, and contracts' (1998).

With that being said, women and minorities cannot possibly have a fair chance in society without positive affirmative action programs. However, with affirmative action, it has been noted that their incentives to achieve success may be decreased because 'preferential treatment can lead to the patronization of black workers and students. As a person of color, a woman, a student, you are suddenly faced with the prospect that the opportunities you were given -- opportunities fought for by the civil rights movement, the self-determination movement, the equality movements -- are being eroded. Don't erase the progress, you think. Affirmative action works. It's still necessary.

It benefits everyone. It gives an equal opportunity for people to participate in society. Students across the country have already woken up, and are organizing to protect and expand affirmative action. Nationally, Congress has shied away from challenging affirmative action at the federal level.

With the battle in the states, students state by state have increased their organizing efforts to win on affirmative action. Students plan on targeting chancellors and pressuring them to support the repeal of SP-1 and SP-2. By educating and building power among students in the UC system,.