Affirmative Action Essay -- Discrimination Race Racism Essays

Affirmative Action Affirmative action is a blanket term that refers to â€Å"the set of public policies and initiatives designed to help eliminate past and present discrimination based on race, color, sex or national origin,† (Sykes). Before the Civil Rights Acts of 1965 and the 1954 Scott v. Topeka decision, there were â€Å"unwritten laws and protection for white men† against competition from women and ethnic minorities in prestigious professions, creating blatant inequality (Alsbrook). Affirmative action policies designed in part to counteract such â€Å"unwritten laws† were first employed in 1965 to provide equal opportunity among federal contractors; now however, they are used widely in many industries, both public and private (Kahn). In the 1970’s, the scope of the initiatives expanded to the arena of college and university admissions as well. Debate over affirmative action has revolved around myriad issues ranging from diversity to the relevance of past injustices to so-called â€Å"reverse discrimination.† The paramount key issue that is constantly asked regarding affirmative action is, â€Å"Does affirmative action achieve its goal of equality?† Having considered the arguments from many perspectives, we recommend a general position that supports affirmative action policies. However, this support is not unmitigated—certain constraints and amendments are required. Those who oppose affirmative action often claim that it simply does not succeed in helping the occupational and educational status of minorities. Some support for this claim apropos policies in the workplace can be culled from the fact that women only earn approximately seventy-seven cents for every dollar men earn, the figure dropping to sixty-six cents for non-white women (... ...pdf> {popular news, print via Internet; apparently credible} Wilcher, J. Shirley. â€Å"The History of Affirmative Action Policies† Americans for Fair Chance Washington D.C (2003): In Motion Magazine. 26 April. 2004 http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/aahist.html {distinguished news; print via internet; reputable} Yates, Steven. â€Å"Affirmative Action: The New Road to Serfdom.† The Freeman. (1990) Vol. 40, No. 12. Foundation for Economic Education Inc. 6 April 2004 http://www.libertyhaven.com/politicsandcurrentevents/affirmativeaction/roadserfdom.shtml {unrestricted; print modified; plausible} Zauberman, Renee and Rene Levy. â€Å"Police, Minorities, and the French Republican Ideal*.† Criminology 41.4 (2003): 1065-1100. Research Library. ProQuest. NYU Bobst Library, NY, NY. 21 April. 2004 http://www.proquest.com/ {scholarly primary; print via Internet; authoritative}