Statistics Regarding Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action is a way forming opportunities for the society. It provides diversity, equality, and forms a melting pot. Looking at this chart, it shows that women, minorities, and men are not equally treated. Women and minorities earn less than men.

Personal (citizen) websites/groups that are created to discuss affirmative action.

Website:Facebook, Group Name: National Discussion and Debate Series

Website:csus.edu, Group/Person Name: Louis P. Pojman.

Website:http://www.ethnicmajority.com/affirmative_action.htm

What do interest groups say about Afirmative Action?

There are many advocacy/interest groups that talk and share their viewpoint on Affirmative Action. During research I found a few groups who have to say something about Affirmative Action. They are shown below:

ACLU--"In the United States, access to the American Dream is often framed as a race in which the swiftest runners win. Critics of affirmative action say that such policies give some runners an unfair head start in an otherwise fair race. At the same time, many supporters of affirmative action say we need these policies to assist “disabled” runners. In their focus on the runners rather than the track, both of these perspectives miss the point. Affirmative action isn’t about advancing “disabled” runners, but about repairing damaged lanes and removing the barriers that block the pathways to opportunity that only some runners face. Policies that promote inclusion, such as affirmative action, are designed to equalize the conditions of an otherwise unfair race and give everyone a fair chance to compete."

LULAC--"LULAC strongly supports equal opportunity for employment, promotion and contracting, as well as equal access to quality educational opportunities that will empower our youth for success," states Belen Robles, LULAC National President. "LULAC firmly believes that affirmative action is essential to guarantee people of color, minorities and women equality in employment and education."

NAACP--"The necessity of Affirmative Action has been a hot topic in American society for a number of years. Affirmative Action was established in 1965 by President Johnson in order to redress the discrimination that was evident in employment, education and business despite the civil rights laws which made such discrimination illegal. The purpose of Affirmative Action is to provide opportunities for minorities and women; it is not meant to create quotas."

After reading these opinions on affirmative action, it seems that they all support affirmative action and they believe its necessary for people to gain their rights. For example, NAACP believes "that the purpose of affirmative action is to provide opportunites for minorities and women; it is not meant create quotas". This shows that its not only the minorities who believe that affirmative action is needed but also the whites and others who already have the rights wanted by others.

Debate On Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action
Under Attack

By Dan Froomkin
Washingtonpost.com Staff
October 1998 Affirmative action is the nation's most ambitious attempt to redress its long history of racial and sexual discrimination. But these days it seems to incite, rather than ease, the nation's internal divisions.
An increasingly assertive opposition movement argues that the battle to guarantee equal rights for all citizens has been fought and won – and that favoring members of one group over another simply goes against the American grain.
But defenders of affirmative action say that the playing field is not level yet – and that granting modest advantages to minorities and women is more than fair, given hundreds of years of discrimination that benefited whites and men.



What Is Affirmative Action?

Born of the civil rights movement three decades ago, affirmative action calls for minorities and women to be given special consideration in employment, education and contracting decisions.
Institutions with affirmative action policies generally set goals and timetables for increased diversity – and use recruitment, set-asides and preference as ways of achieving those goals.
In its modern form, affirmative action can call for an admissions officer faced with two similarly qualified applicants to choose the minority over the white, or for a manager to recruit and hire a qualified woman for a job instead of a man. Affirmative action decisions are generally not supposed to be based on quotas, nor are they supposed to give any preference to unqualified candidates. And they are not supposed to harm anyone through "reverse discrimination."

My Opinion On This Article: After reading this article, you may think affirmative is making things worse. In my opinion, I am nuetral about it. I believe that affirmative action can be seen both ways; good and bad. Affirmative action is giving minorities the rights they deserve, yet it takes some opportunities from whites. For example when a white person and a black person applies for a job, (both with the same education and skill level) the black person is more likely to be hired. This is because the place that these two are applying at needs a certain percentage of non-whites to work there. I agree to this because this is a way to show that blacks and other minorities are able to make something of themselves. The thing that I don't agree about is that even though whites have more opportunities, it's wrong to take away something without a valid reason. I believe that affirmative action should be applied equally to minorities and white. For example, when a black and white person apply somewhere, they should both be accepted, if they qualify.

Sally Kern: Minorities Earn Less Because They Don't Work As Hard

Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern, a Republican, made questionable remarks in the wake of a measure seeking to ban affirmative action programs advancing in the state, Tulsa World reports.

According to the local outlet:

Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said minorities earn less than white people because they don’t work as hard and have less initiative. “We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that’s tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don’t want to study as hard in school? I’ve taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them.”

In light of the proposed constitutional amendment in question clearing the state House of Representatives on Wednesday evening, the GOP lawmaker also suggested women earn less than their male counterparts because they generally spend more time in the home.

The AP recently reported on the legislation:

The measure [will] put on the 2012 election ballot a provision that the state may not grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, color, sex, ethnicity or national origin. The ban would apply to public employment, education and contracting. Opponents say the proposal targets a non-existent problem. Several Democrats contend the bill is an attempt to use race to generate fear and draw conservative white voters to the polls.

The Oklahoman reports:

Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, one of the youngest members of the Legislature, said discrimination still occurs against women. She said she and her brother applied for home loans about the same time; her loan took longer to process and she had to make a larger down payment. “I don't want a handout and I don't think any woman does,” she said.

Affirmative Action Cartoons!

Affirmative Action

What is affirmative action? According to dictionary.com, affirmative action is

the encouragement of increased representation of women and minority-group members, especially in employment. Also, "according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission affirmative action is a policy that is orchestrated to "...overcome the discriminating effect of past or present practices, policies, or other barriers to equal employment opportunity"".

 This topic is very controversial. Many people have different opinions about it. Some people agree with it while others don't. This argument has also sparked many problems and many conflicts have arose from this.

I believe that affirmative action is a big step toward bringing opportunities for those who need it. For example, black, hispanics, and asians dont get as much opportunity as whites. Affirmative action increases the representation of minorities and women in education, employment, and the right to start or open a business. In the past none of these people had the right to do these things. During the 60's, black men earned only 60 percent as much as the white man did. By the 1990's a black man earned 74% as much as a white men did. Statisitis show that "The ratio of the average black workers' earnings to the average white workers' earnings increased significantly in the 1940s, increased slightly if at all in the 1950s, increased significantly between 1960 and the mid 1970s, and declined somewhat since the late 1970s." Affirmative action is the thing that can help improve this and increase the representation of minorities.