In recent news, the Supreme Court sided with a Michigan constitutional amendment that would ban Affirmative Action in the state’s public universities. Affirmative action, if you don’t know, “is the policy of providing special opportunities for, and favoring members of, a disadvantaged group who suffer from discrimination [Wikipedia]”. The 6-to-2 ruling in the Court has generally been seen as a popular decision among conservatives, as well as a smaller group of liberals and it should come as no surprise that more states will follow suit in the near future. Here’s my take on the topic. Weigh in on my points by commenting below this article or tweeting @unclevsnephew.
If you have read my bio here, you might gather that my circumstances are one that may prove as a case against affirmative action. I am a Puerto Rican, a race that does receive benefits from the law and, I would assume, it has helped me progress in my life. Although I cannot be certain that my race has provided me with greater opportunities to attend a good college or get competitive jobs, there is no doubt that it has helped others in my situation. So, what is my situation?
I was raised in a healthy middle-class home in a predominantly white area of northern New Jersey (Sussex County), and I had the privilege of attending a Blue Ribbon awarded High School (High Point Regional) that featured a great teaching staff, new text books and all the tools necessary for me to succeed without the need for favors from the government. But, I do think there’s a lot to be said for not “Throwing out the baby with the bath water”.
As is the case with all controversial laws, especially those dealing with race, things are never as straightforward as everyone would like them to be. Should affirmative action laws be reformed, of course, but they were put in place for a reason and that reason still holds true. What if we did away with favoritism toward the children of Alumni at schools, big donators or star athletes? Given that Universities are academic institutions, the anti-affirmative action stance is shouldn’t they be basing their admissions on academics? If that was the case, they should also not base decisions on who their father is, how much their family donated or the speed of their fastball? I only bring this up to illustrate that there are a vast number of qualities that can weigh in on the decision to admit a student to a college, and if race should not be one of them, then neither should the vast number of other of non-academic qualities students may possess.
That said, I am a perfect example of why the law should be reformed. I want to emphasize the word “Reformed” here, because the alternative of “Banning” is not, in my opinion, the way to go. I can attest that living in an all-white (or all one-race) society isn’t a bad thing, but it is quite boring. I attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, and I learned as much from the the diversity of my classmates, as I did from my course work. In all honestly, before attending the school, I had never been friends with a Jewish, Jamaican or Indian individual. Learning about their culture, customs and religion all played a significant role in my academic development and I would not trade that for the world. Nevertheless, showing favoritism based on skin color or ethnicity is still not the best way to accomplish equal opportunity, especially if it compromises the quality of the student body.
What do I propose as an alternative?
The reason affirmative action exist was because minorities, in general, but more specifically, African Americans, were not receiving the same opportunities as their caucasian brothers and sisters. This was due to the racial and income inequality of the day. Today, racism is still an issue (just ask Cliven Bundy), but, thanks to the civil rights movement, it is not as much of an issue within our state and federal government institutions. Unfortunately, poverty is, and it still affects minorities to a much greater extent.
This, I feel, is the main case for the affirmative action cause, and it must survive if we want to progress as a united people. I am in no way generalizing a culture of people as a whole with my next comment, but it must be said. An African American or Hispanic child living in one of the many ghettos that stain our cities is still dealt the rawest deal of them all. A friend of mine who teaches in Camden, NJ, illustrated this point to me when she said that her students were using text books printed in the 80s and during recess one school day, shots were fired on the street and instead of the kids running inside, they ran to the fence to see who got shot. This is a world I can’t even imagine being a part of as a child.
Keeping this in mind, a student that grows up in the school systems of an inner-city ghetto should be given every opportunity possible to get out of that situation. Consider someone growing up in an affluent society that scores a 1300 on their SATs and a student that grows up in a Newark ghetto who scores an 1100. In my opinion, more work came from the student with that 1100 score, and yes, admissions should reflect that. This, however, cannot apply only to people of color. The poor, in general, must overcome so much more than their privileged counterparts and the admissions process should cater to the millions of impoverished children trying to further their education (not people like me). Undoubtedly, this will favor minority communities and achieve much of the same goals that affirmative action set out to accomplish, but it will also expand the law’s reach to underprivileged whites, which I fully support. However, diversity is integral to affirmative action and, more importantly, the advancement of our society, and I support a law that disproportionately promotes diversity, because it will give us a chance to learn from those that see the world from a completely different point of view. If this does not sit well with you, it’s about time you took a look at the countless institutions that favor the affluent, predominantly white community.
IMG Source: http://fawstin.blogspot.com
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