I always defined affirmative action as a positive act performed by anyone to produce a beneficial impact on another person or group of people. According to politicians, affirmative action is the set of public policy and initiative designed to eliminate past and present discrimination based on race, color, religion, and sex or nationality origin in the United States.
Based on this definition, I believe that affirmative Action was good and suitable to the American society. In addition, centuries ago, black Americans were slaves and used as free labor. After slavery ended, the black population, women and many other minorities groups were discriminated against job applications, admission to universities, high positions in government, big corporations, and at broadcasting industries. It was impossible to hire a black person over a white applicant for a job when both applied at the same time. To remedy to this situation, president Kennedy requested that companies that do business with the federal government take “affirmative action” to provide all the applicants an equal opportunity, without regard to their race, color, or nationality, according to Professor Nicolaus Mills, this was the first time affirmative action was used. However, affirmative action recommends hiring a black person over a white person if a majority of white are already present in the company, and also because black people were discriminated against for decades. That is when affirmative action becomes a controversial subject in this country.
I believe that, this policy was set for the reparation of wrong doing to black population in America and helps them to integrate into American society. I also believe that affirmative action is meant to bury the various inequalities that divided blacks and whites in this country. affirmative action is good and an important policy because the America society could not functioned effectively with a society predominantly white male working the best job and getting the best education from the elite school of the nation and in the other hand a minority without job and adequate education, I thing this picture does not reflect the American society, which stand for freedom, equality, justice, for all and the pursue of happiness according to Thomas Jefferson
People, who support affirmative action augured that it is a kind of justice that is given to people who were denied jobs, education and their rights for a long period of time, especially black people. Today affirmative action is not just applied to blacks but, women, and other minority groups. The advocates of affirmative action request a fair treatment in employment, education and decision making for minorities as whole. I think that affirmative action changed American society in term of education. According to Nicolaus Mills, in the year 1945 and 1950 the majority of students that entered Berkeley, Yale and Harvard University, were white. After affirmative action was implemented, he notices about 20 percent of Asian American, 8 percent of Latino and 6 percent of African American students made their entry at these universities. Concerning employment, he reported lot of blacks and other minority groups were given an opportunity to occupied high position in big corporations and business. The secretary Colin Power is an example of affirmative action. I believe that black people would not get the opportunity that they are getting now without affirmative action, even though a lot still needs to be done. Historically, black people were excluded from American society. They were physically abused just because of their skin color. Today black people are no longer abused and it does not mean that the color barrier that divided the Americans has disappeared. In fact, just last week on channel 9 a young black girl was turned down for a modeling position when she told the agency that she was black. The interview happened over the telephone, and the black girl called and said “I am calling for the ad about the modeling position” The modeling agency replied “you are black; or we do not want no “n****ger” here.” I can believe that in the twenty-first century these types of attitudes still prevail in our society.
People who oppose affirmative action, argue that it is unconstitutional and unfair to young white job applicants. They also believe that this practice raises the question of preferential bias based on race, gender and ethnicity rather than applicants’ qualifications and skills. In addition, those who are opposed to affirmative action, think that the current populations of white men have little to do with what happened to black people in the past. Finally, these people support the idea that America does not need this practice any more because everyone is equal now in today society. To my opinion, affirmative action is a form of injustice, which is doing positive things for minorities. But, justice itself is defined as a rule made by people to govern their society with respect to their moral and value standards. So affirmative action is justice because it is a law that does not go against the morality of this nation. For a reminder, the morality of this nation is based on the Christian faith. This faith required us to share with those who do not have to apologize for those that were wronged and gave to Caesars what belonged to him. Black people have been expropriated from their proprieties. For a longtime they were not allowed to get a job and an education. That is why I think affirmative action should be used to repair these historic injustices that separate the blacks and whites in this country; I disagree with those who are opposed to affirmative action. They are opposed to a practice that is based on good faith and equal share on equal part of the country resource.
Affirmative action is an awakening of conciseness for white people who oppressed and used black’s labor for free over four hundred years. Obviously they had a very long advantage over these black populations. Like President Lyndon Johnson was saying, you can asked a person that just got his freedom after several years of been a slave and segregated to get ready to compete equally with those who where slave masters or a children of slave master.
Today, it is sad to see that affirmative action is not understood by everyone that this law is very important for people of African descent as well as the country as a whole. Yet they are opposed to it. They believe that the country does not need affirmative action and that what was done in the past no longer exits; they said everyone is equal in today’s society. But this equality that is referred here is the result of affirmative action. The example of sport is outstanding. The fact that black people have been allowed in the sport there are waving proudly the America flag. At universities, the few of blacks that were allowed to receive degree in higher education became great lawyers, doctors, scientist and writers for the benefit of this country.
In my opinion, affirmative action needs to be explained as a compassionate law rather than reparation law, even though it is, because, some people could use it to create a division among the population. For example, Nicolaus Mills a professor of American Studies, related in his book an even that course by affirmative action. He said that Jesse Helms, a conservative republican used a TV ad against a black democrat. In this TV ad, a pair of white hands crumpled a job rejection letter while an announcer’s voice intones, “You needed that job. And you are best qualified, but they gave it to a minority because of a racial quota. Is that really fair?” This is the type of reaction that affirmative action could create if it is not accepted as a helpful law to integrate black people in American society. I also disagree with the idea of hiring a certain number of blacks for jobs, because this practice goes against the true nature of affirmative action. Remember that at time, affirmative action was created to help black people to catch up with the white people. So, if there is an opportunity to help as many blacks as possible, why limited the number? One thing is that these people have been suffering for a long time without adequate education, descent jobs and good political representation because of an institutional segregation and racism that existed in the United States. If the states went to use a positive discrimination to restore equality among it citizen, the people of America should be supportive and encouraging to the State. According to President Clinton, we need to apply affirmative action because America has a long way to go before drop the racial divide no longer exists. Finally, I think if, people use affirmative action and compassion and in a caring way, it will be widely accepted by the majority of the people. And they could come to conclusion that it will beneficial to the country that a huge number of blacks been educated and make their presence in the work place.
Source: America-online: discussion on patriotic action—Google Book: Debating affirmative action/race, gender, ethnicity, and the politics of inclusion/ Author: Nicolaus Mills Google: President Clinton speech on Affirmative Action.