End To Affirmative Action example essay topic

Affirmative Affirmative Action Affirmative Action Affirmative action is necessary when a qualified student loses their deserved place at a university because they are black. When a woman more qualified than a man is denied a job because of her gender, affirmative action is necessary. Affirmative action is necessary to run a stable society. Affirmative action is defined in the dictionary as a policy or program for correcting the effects of discrimination in the employment or education of members of certain groups such as women and blacks.

Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic way of opening doors of education, employment and business opportunities to qualified individuals. Programs about reaching out to affirmative action are built on the American dream that there is enough education, employment and respect for everyone in this country. The programs are not about reverse discrimination or hiring unqualified applicants (Colonnese 197). Our entire history can be seen as trying to preserve the conviction made in the Declaration of Independence, which was established in 1776. The Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths self-evident that all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

' The past reveals a distinct gap between what is stated by this American document and the reality of daily life. When this creed was created, only white men could vote and black slaves were not even counted as whole people. Action needed to be taken in order to make the idea that all men are equal a reality. It was not until 1954 when the Brown vs. the Board of Education decision was made, that the legal impediments, which prohibited blacks from entering the arena of competition, were removed (Lewis 1). In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925, which required federal contractors to take affirmative action to desegregate the work force, but nothing changed overnight (Dovidio 60). Adults remember water fountains being labeled "white' and "colored,' they never sat next to members of another race in a movie theater or a restaurant.

Even after the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 was passed, during the climax of the civil rights movement, most blacks were still confined to servile and undesirable jobs. They worked as unskilled laborers and most black women worked as low-level service maids. The continuous series of presidential orders, policies, and court decisions were not enough to give blacks a fair start after years of enslavement (Steinburg 17). During a ceremony at Howard University in June 1965, President Lyndon Johnson stressed that freedom is not enough by explaining, "You cannot take a person who for years has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him to the starting line and say "You are free to compete with the others' and still justly believe that you have been completely fair' (Steinburg 18).

It is society's duty to reconstruct the situation so that fairness will prevail; this can be done through affirmative action. There are concerns in all ethnic categories about the times when affirmative action doesn't work. There are times when employers treat a flexible goal as a quota, but affirmative action does not include quotas. Quotas, in reference to affirmative action, would be setting a certain number of each ethnic or gender category that is to receive a job or college admission. The US Supreme Court outlawed setting fixed quotas for hiring and school enrollment during the Bakke decision in 1978 (Affirmative Action 1). Some employers may give opportunities to people who are unqualified instead of to those who deserve it, but affirmative action does not select or reject employees without regard to merit (Samuelson 53).

These concerns are real, but not legal and not part of affirmative action. When the administration finds these kinds of illegal cases, they will enforce the law to reprimand such behavior. The unqualified recipient of an employment opportunity will have their conveyance revoked. The law requires fairness for all people and should be demanded to be enforced.

Affirmative action has already been beneficial for America. Women are now playing a major role in business and politics and also attending all-male schools. Minorities are attending once all-white schools and emerging into America's work force. The never-ending search for equal opportunity is on the correct path with affirmative action.

Some people say that affirmative action is no longer necessary because racism and sexism have been banished from our nation (Graves 9). This is far from the truth. The unemployment rate for African Americans is still twice that of whites (Dovidio 60). Blacks are not the only people being discriminated against.

Women still only make 72% as much as men do at comparable jobs. The average income for a Hispanic woman with a college degree is still less than the average income of a white man with a high school diploma (Clinton 5). The end of discrimination in this country is far from near. There are social problems in the United States, which are similar to all other countries. Our progress is being made to bring our nation together as one.

With so much work left to do we shouldn't end affirmative action. There are differing opinions that are continuing to hinder affirmative action. Some people may say that employers are give opportunities to people who are unqualified instead of those who deserve it, but affirmative action does not select or reject employees without regard to merit (Samuelson 53). Affirmative action did not bring about racial tension that was not already existent. Affirmative action gives minorities the chance to defy the stereotypes given to them by other people.

Not using affirmative action will only continue to exclude blacks from participating with the American society. America is labeled as the land of the free; however, many people are still charged for the color of their skin. If affirmative action is used properly it can help society come together and keep progressing forward. Most citizens share a dream of a better nation, one that allows equal opportunity without discrimination. In order to achieve this dream we must be involved and committed to keeping affirmative action alive until discrimination no longer exists in the work force or schools.

In support of creating equal opportunities, Americans should choose to continue rather than bring an end to affirmative action

Bibliography

Work Cited Affirmative Action: What is it? Web Crawler. Internet. Available web / Clinton, Bill. "President Clinton's Remarks on Affirmative Action. ' Capitol Building. Washington, DC July 19, 1995.
Colonnese, Tom. "Affirmative Action in Higher Education. ' The Clearing House. March 1996: 197.
Dovidio, John. "Aversive racism and the need for Affirmative Action. ' The Chronicle of Higher Education. Graves, Earl. "Living King's Dream. ' Black Enterprise. January. 1997: 9.
Lewis, Brian. "An Ethical and Practical Defense of Affirmative Action. ' Affirmative Action. Chicago: Illinois, 1197. Online. Yahoo. Internet. November 25, 1998.
Available web / Samuelson, Robert. "Poisonous Symbolism. ' Newsweek. July 1997: 53.
Steinburg, Stephan. "The Affirmative Action Debate. ' UNESCO Courier. March 1996.