Affirmative Action: Racial Discrimination
I Have a Dream
Racial discrimination is a plague of the human mind, and has been important to the history of the United States, as well as continues to play a large role in current issues. But, it is rarely discussed how the majority is being subjected to racism every day. Affirmative Action is detrimental to the American Society because it creates discrimination, denies applicants that are well qualified, and harms the equal America that this country is trying to create.
In order to fully understand how Affirmative Action affectively ruins the chances of many well-qualified Americans each year, its process must be understood. Meet John. John is a senior in high school, and is also an average middle-class white male. John is busy in the process of applying to the university that has for long been a dream. Maybe it 's UW, UCLA, or even Stanford. After filling out applications, sending in FAFSA forms, getting letters of recommendation, and having English teachers correct entrance essays, John licks the envelope and sends off his application with hope for a positive answer in two months. The time quickly goes by, and each day is filled with anticipation each time the mail box is checked or the phone rings. One evening, the Dean of Admissions calls and breaks the news to John. Unfortunately, John has been denied application to the school. It came down to two students, and they had to give John 's spot to a Hispanic girl. John was qualified enough, in fact, more so than the other girl, but there is a quota that needed to be filled. While an applicant would never be told that Affirmative Action was the reason for denial, this is many times the kind of bias that is a result of Affirmative Action.
Affirmative Action was passed in the 1965 by Lyndon B. Johnson as executive order number 11246 (Murray, 193). At the time, it was intended to actively seek out blacks to help them get into schools and receive jobs. However, the 1960 's was also the start of the biggest
Racial discrimination is a plague of the human mind, and has been important to the history of the United States, as well as continues to play a large role in current issues. But, it is rarely discussed how the majority is being subjected to racism every day. Affirmative Action is detrimental to the American Society because it creates discrimination, denies applicants that are well qualified, and harms the equal America that this country is trying to create.
In order to fully understand how Affirmative Action affectively ruins the chances of many well-qualified Americans each year, its process must be understood. Meet John. John is a senior in high school, and is also an average middle-class white male. John is busy in the process of applying to the university that has for long been a dream. Maybe it 's UW, UCLA, or even Stanford. After filling out applications, sending in FAFSA forms, getting letters of recommendation, and having English teachers correct entrance essays, John licks the envelope and sends off his application with hope for a positive answer in two months. The time quickly goes by, and each day is filled with anticipation each time the mail box is checked or the phone rings. One evening, the Dean of Admissions calls and breaks the news to John. Unfortunately, John has been denied application to the school. It came down to two students, and they had to give John 's spot to a Hispanic girl. John was qualified enough, in fact, more so than the other girl, but there is a quota that needed to be filled. While an applicant would never be told that Affirmative Action was the reason for denial, this is many times the kind of bias that is a result of Affirmative Action.
Affirmative Action was passed in the 1965 by Lyndon B. Johnson as executive order number 11246 (Murray, 193). At the time, it was intended to actively seek out blacks to help them get into schools and receive jobs. However, the 1960 's was also the start of the biggest
Cited: O 'Neill, Timothy J. Bakke & the Politics of Equality: Friends & Foes in the Classroom of Litigation. Connecticut: Wesleyan UP. 1985 Graham, Hugh Davis. The Civil Rights Era: Orgins and Development of National Policy. New York: Oxford UP. 1990. Murray, Charles. "Affirmative Racism." Debating Affirmative Action: Race Gender, Ethnicity, and the Politics of Inclusion. Ed. Nicolaus Mills. New York: Dell Publishing, 1994. 192- 201. Holy Bible: New International Version. Michigan: Zondervan, 2002. Brunner, Borgna. Bakke and Beyond: A History and Timeline of Affirmative Action. 2005. 1 Mar. 2005. .