Affirmative Action: Discrimination In The United States

Affirmative action was created to assist minority groups against discrimination, but affirmative action does more harm than what it can do to help. Affirmative action was created with the intention of leveling the playing field so that everyone can have an equal opportunity to be hired or accepted in to a school, but it does the opposite of what it is meant to do. Affirmative action is reverse discrimination against white males, lesser qualified people are admitted into jobs and colleges, and not all people have an equal opportunity to advance.

Generations of families have suffered due unequal laws or prejudices set in place to prevent minorities from growing. Slavery, segregation, separate but equal laws, the trail of tears, failing ESOL classes, unequal pay and so much more effect today's youth and causing history to change slowly if at all. Affirmative action has good intentions and is very much needed in today's world however it sometimes fails doing what it was created to do.

It cannot be denied that there are many benefits to affirmative action in that it helps to ensure both fairness and diversity in organizations, such as schools. In many places across American discrimination is still alive and well. Because of this, affirmative action is necessary to action ensure that people of minority groups will not be denied admission to schools or employment based on their race. After all, there are some organizations who would not be willing to change their policies unless forced by the government to do so. Also, many minority groups are still underrepresented in schools and occupations, which is unfortunate because it gives people a skewed view of what the population of America truly looks like and lets them think of different races as simply the homogenous others, instead of seeing them as people. Being around people who are different is “necessary to dispel stereotypes about minorities” and as the Department of Education points out, “Interacting with students who have different perspectives and life experiences can

The purpose of affirmative action is to ensure equal opportunity for minorities. But it has strayed from its original intent and has become largely a program to achieve not equal opportunity but equal results. It is a system of quotas forced upon American businesses and working class by the federal government. A law which forces people to look at race before looking at the individual cannot promote equal opportunity. Affirmative action continues the judgement of minorities by race; it causes reverse discrimination, and contradicts its purpose.

In the 1960s when minorities and whites were equal according to the constitution but unequal in reality, a program was needed to level the playing field. Thus the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created and prohibited discrimination. It marked the beginning of a debate that has been going on for nearly a half of a century. Affirmative action needs to be reevaluated in educational settings in light of current needs.

Affirmative Action remains one of the more complicated and controversial topics dealt with in American society. Affirmative Action is an action or policy designed to protect specific groups who suffer from discrimination, and provide them with programs and special opportunities. These government or private programs were designed to set right historical injustices towards the members of these groups who have suffered things like employment and educational disadvantages from racial discrimination. The goal for these actions are to redress past wrong doings by fixing things like inequalities in employment and pay, as well as increasing opportunities for education. By achieving this, the outcome would restore equal access and opportunity in favor of the members of these groups. These groups generally consist of certain minorities that have suffered from social ills such as slavery and segregation.

Affirmative Action is an outcome of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. Its purpose is to provide equal opportunities for members of minority groups and women in education and employment. It is not until 1961 did the term “affirmative action” was first used by President John F. Kennedy. He made it very clear in an Executive Order that directed government have to take “affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” Since a lot of cooperation still tends to hire white male, by enforcing affirmative action, the number of minority groups and women in the labor force will increase.Affirmative Action helps to eliminate the imbalance in the society and reform the American system. The US Department of Labor describes affirmative action as the banning of discrimination.

According to Raymond A. Noe, affirmative action is an organization’s active effort to find opportunities to hire or promote people in a particular group (Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 68). There are various arguments for and against affirmative action. Some believe that it gives certain groups of people an equal opportunity to find employment where they would otherwise be kicked under the rug. Others believe that even though it creates an opportunity for minority groups, the issue of reverse discrimination comes into play where once predominantly white male jobs offerings go to women and minority groups instead. The topic of affirmative action remains very controversial and

Affirmative action was created on March 6, 1961 by president John F. Kennedy and has since expanded into a heated debate. Affirmative action was first established as a result of the Civil Rights Movement to grant equal opportunities for minority groups in the United States. Affirmative action can be seen as a compensatory measure to a racially discriminated group in a cultures history. It is very easy for someone to become involved in a debate about affirmative action because we live in a society where racial discrimination is seen often. Racial injustice can be seen first hand or on television with programs such as the news that heavily publicize racial inequality events.

Affirmative action needs to stay because it opens doors of endless opportunities for marginalized groups who are discouraged by their obstacles of never getting into college. Sonia Sotomayor stated, “students from disadvantaged backgrounds could be brought to the starting line of a race many were unaware was even being run” Education can only be partly to blame because many disadvantaged youth feel as if education is

The term Affirmative Action had very little meaning for the average American years ago. Affirmative action has been described as actions or steps an organization must take to show that it is not showing or fostering any kind of discrimination. It provides qualified people with the same access to educational and professional opportunities that would otherwise have been denied them if they were fully qualified. Through out the years the affirmative action has adapted to the times and to the people.

Affirmative action opens the door to diversity in a job or educational setting that would not normally be there. Not only did the diversity increase but it increased at a fast pace. Woman and minorities are usually the ones that are left at a disadvantage when in comes to having equal opportunities. There are specific jobs and universities that a minority or woman would be intimidated to apply for. Affirmative action gives them the confidence to consider these places that they would have never considered before. Lets face it, there is still plenty of discrimination and stereotyping that goes on in our society. Affirmative action gives this group of individuals the push they need to be on the same level as everyone else.

Affirmative action is a way to make sure that colleges stay diverse to help create communities that are exposed to different colleges. It helps people who have a disadvantage create opportunities for themselves. It gives everyone an equal chance in all areas of their community. This is a way to make up for the oppression. This is to many help thee minorities that are admitted into universities or employed. The main focus was to make sure that everyone had an equal opportunities and help the level of discrimination go down. It has represented the minorities that aren’t being represented in any way shape or form. It’s way to help us reverse discrimination. According to the U.S. Department of Labor “Blacks and Latinos are more likely to

The first use of affirmative action was to increase ethnic diversity occurred in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy Executive Order (10925), required government contractors to take "affirmative action" in the hiring of more minorities and women and ending workplace discrimination, per historian (Stephen Cahn). However affirmative action was not fully enforced until 1964 under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act where that under “Federal law which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, and religion. Also in 1971, President Richard Nixon followed in JFK's footsteps by ordering all government contractors to develop a written affirmative action. It generally applies to employers

Legally, affirmative action refers to policies offering compensation to groups formerly targeted for discrimination and identified along social cleavages racial groups in the United States and South Africa, and religious groups in Northern Ireland. Affirmative action is also described as a federally mandated program for federal contractors as it relates to employment. Civil Right results from federal and state laws against discrimination. Some groups of people have been discriminated and harassment based on race, color, gender, age, and others. Since Americans differ on the physical characteristics, race and ethnicity, American society is described as a “Melty Pot”. Diversity includes individuals’ thought, experiences, backgrounds and others; consequently, multiracial and multicultural mixtures have impacted the life of minority groups. Therefore the purpose of affirmative action is to promote equal opportunity to compete for a job or a career. As a result, every American has fair opportunity at the moment of applying for a job; it means that race, ethnicity or gender is not considered as an impediment to be hired. Affirmative action, deals with fairness and justice for all. “For federal contractors and subcontractors, affirmative action must be taken by covered employers to recruit and advance qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and veterans. Affirmative actions include training programs, outreach efforts, and other positive steps. These procedures