Affirmative Action: Equal Opportunity and Diversity for Minorities Essay Example

they played key roles in the development of the legal system, political conflict, and changes in social relations. The United States Constitution even includes Amendments regarding race and slavery. Despite the various laws set in place by the U. S.

Government to end discrimination and help African-Americans progress, they were still subjected to discrimination because of their race.With the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 African-Americans could finally embrace the freedom from slavery to being recognized as American citizens. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law on July 2, 1964. Title IV of the act declare that “No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (National Archives, n.

. ). This Civil Rights Act addressed not only discrimination in employment, but also discrimination in voting, public accommodations, and education as well. The Act sparked a movement of affirmative action across the United States. Affirmative action compensates minorities who have been historically discriminated against.

Programs were designed for minorities to receive preferential treatment in determining entrance to universities, employment, and receiving federal contracts when competing with equally qualified whites.Since its origination in the United States in 1961, affirmative action has created equal opportunities for everyone or has it created reverse discrimination? In its 47-year history, affirmative action has attempted to rid America of discrimination against minorities, sometimes at the cost of what has been labeled “reverse discrimination” towards whites. This topic of reverse discrimination applies to all parts of

affirmative action which allow a minority to get a position or receive an opportunity over an equally qualified majority individual.Affirmative Action created equal opportunities in employment for minorities.

The Civil Rights Act created a permanent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (EEOC). Since its existence, “the Commission has focused on but one simply stated mission: the elimination of illegal discrimination from the workplace” (EEOC, n. d. ). Since 1964 the EEOC has been successful as the lead enforcement agency of workplace discrimination.

Over the four decades that EEOC has existed, it has been a valued supporter for the group of people it was mainly created to serve.Those groups include all peoples of the nation, not limited to African-Americans alone, because discrimination can happen to anyone of any race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, and of either sex. Contrary to popular belief, African Americans are not the primary beneficiaries of affirmative action. Rather, women have benefited from these policies as well which promote equality in employment and education for them as well.

When we think of affirmative action it is easy to assume it only relates to the Black race.This is due to the fact that critics of affirmative action characterize it as a Black issue because this enables them to portray these policies as undeserved hand-outs to an under qualified group of people. Before the 19th century women fought to have the same rights afforded to them as men. The women's rights movement later established numerous rights and privileges for women due to the diligence and determination of groups with female and male members.

The amendment of several orders previously set in place for minorities ensured women would also receive

the same preferential treatment.Executive Order 11375 amends President Lyndon Johnson's affirmative action policy of 1965 to cover discrimination based on gender. This order provided the legal basis for affirmative action for women in employment in the United States (Equal Rights Advocates Inc. , 2011). Despite these changes and their enforcement on behalf of women, controversy of affirmative action being a Black race issue still exists.

The pros of affirmative action in employment make sure that a certain percentage of the workplace population will be from a minority group. Programs concentrate on enforcement of existing laws and company policies in an attempt to assure that no overt discrimination exists” (Kovach, Kravitz & Hughes, 2004, p. 56). Supporters of affirmative action profess that it, along with other legal orders, has “offset the systematic barriers that minority groups and women continue to face in pursing education and employment opportunities” (Holzer & Neumark, 2006, p.

466). In contrast, the opponents of affirmative action argue that minorities are receiving preferential treatment for jobs and education simply because they belong to a minority group.According to Katznelson (2006), “Supporters further insist the need to rectify deep racial harms while opponents remonstrated against bills that specially benefits blacks, arguing that it is wrong to make distinctions based on race” (p. 559).

The Employment Equity Act of 1998 enforces equality in the workplace. It recognizes that “there are disparities in employment, occupation and income within the national labor market; and that those disparities create such pronounced disadvantages for certain categories of people that they cannot be redressed simply by repealing discriminatory laws” (Work Info, n. . ).

Such conflicts raise the question again, does affirmative action promote equal

opportunities for minorities or is it a form of reverse discrimination against whites? The cons of affirmative action in employment are a possible increase in racial tension and minorities identified as disadvantaged people. Critics tend to argue that minorities are promoted over qualified whites simply because of affirmative action. Although the intent is to eliminate unfair discrimination in employment, critics see such actions as being discriminatory against whites.The EEOC mandates that a percentage of the workplace population is from a minority group.

This legislation opens the door for minorities to be hired and promoted within a company but it also encourages racial tension among races in the workplace. Whites are likely to be overlooked for promotions in order to satisfy set quotas. Quotas are fixed number of spots for employment and education reserved for minorities and women. The critics of affirmative action argue that it leads to hiring or promotion in jobs of less-qualified minorities (Holzer & Neumark, 2006, p. 66). Minorities are identified as disadvantaged groups by all races.

Finally, the minority for which affirmative action protects is responsible for the negative stigmas regarding their abilities. For most of American history, the black population was prohibited from learning to read or write. If anyone was caught committing either act they were punished severely by beatings up to death. To date African Americans have enrolled in higher education in record numbers, creating moments in history that paved the way for others.Here are just a few key historical events that occurred throughout the years.

Table 1 JBHE Chronology of Major Landmarks in the Progress of African Americans in Higher Education 1799John Chavis, a Presbyterian minister and teacher, is the

first black person on record to attend an American college or university. There is no record of his receiving a degree from what is now Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. 1823Alexander Lucius Twilight becomes the first known African American to graduate from a college in the United States.He received a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College in Vermont.

1900There are now 78 black colleges and universities in the United States. 1906The first fraternity for black college men, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, is founded at Cornell University. 1908 The first sorority for black college women, Alpha Kappa Alpha, is founded at Howard University. 1931Jane Matilda Bolin is the first black woman graduate of Yale Law School. She becomes the nation’s first black woman judge in 1939.

1976 The U. S.Naval Academy admits women for the first time. Janie L.

Mines is the sole black out of the 81 women. 1983Federal government sues the state of Alabama in an effort to force more desegregation in its system of higher education. 1990Barack Obama is elected the first black president of the Harvard Law Review 2001Affirmative action admissions program at the University of Georgia is ruled unconstitutional by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The next year black applicants drop by 20 percent. 2009Department of Education reports that more than 2. million African Americans are currently enrolled in higher education.

This is the highest number of blacks enrolled in higher education in U. S. history. Note. From The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

Copyright 2007 by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. Affirmative Action created equal opportunities in education for minorities. Another specific yet controversial example of equal opportunities forced by

affirmative action is the establishment of equality in the educational institutions and diversity among student bodies.Affirmative action found its way into the federally funded educational institutions due to the numerous regulations enforced demanding the entrance of minority students.

While the supporters of affirmative action saw this as a way to repair the historically discriminative American society, many others saw another trend of reverse discrimination in the educational institutions. “In the half century since Brown v. Board of Education, the depth of racial segregation in most American schools, neighborhoods, and families has persisted” (Katznelson, 2006, p. 561).Although legal segregation of schools has since long ended, to date, blacks and whites are still separated to a certain extent.

Quotas and preferential treatment for minority groups of educational institutions separates blacks from whites today. In higher education institutions such as colleges and universities, affirmative action pushes for diversity among student body. Diversity exposes students to the many similarities and difference that make up American Society. The objective is to teach students to understand and appreciate similarities among student body.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “requires schools and colleges to take affirmative action to overcome the effects of past discrimination and to encourage voluntary affirmative action to attain a diverse student body” (National Archives, n. d. ). Since federal funding was not given to any educational institution that chose to discriminate, universities began implement admission policies that would encourage a diverse student body. According to Holzer & Neumark (2006), students may learn more form one another in a more diverse setting and being able to interact with students of other ethnic backgrounds invaluable.Without diversity, young adults will be

unprepared in an increasingly growing diverse global economy and nation.

There are some cons associated with affirmative action in education such as discrimination against the majority race and devalue of the achievements of minorities who would get into university even without affirmative action. While minority groups are afforded special privileges and considerations, white students are again subjected to reverse discrimination.Although the intent of affirmative action in schools and universities is to create a diverse environment of students, it creates division among students as well. It devalues the achievements of minorities who would get into university even without affirmative action policies. There is a perception that minorities enrolled in prestigious universities were admitted only because of their race or ethnic background. Minorities are subjected to stereotypes that label them as uneducated and unqualified to receive the same education as white students.

In conclusion, although affirmative action is preferential to non-white race, it has increased diversity between minorities and whites for two main reasons. First, affirmative action created equal opportunities in employment and education for minorities. But most importantly, since it`s implementation in 1961, diversity has increased among minorities and whites as well. What was done in the past was done in the past and society should continue to work on ways to create equality and diversity among “everyone” regardless of race, gender, disability or ethnic origin.