Affirmative Action is a very appealing topic to me because it shows two sides to one society. It shows the well off majority that can get a proper education and the deprived minorities who can’t have a bright future due to their background. With Affirmative Action, these minorities have a better fighting chance and that right needs to be protected. I need to get the people who are against AA to support it. Today there are a lot of people who still look down upon immigrants and still have a little “white supremacy” ideology. The only way to get their attention would be show that i have thoroughly studied their side and have the proper knowledge to question their opinion. Many people would be offended if they were to my paper since it would question an ideology that was common not too long ago. Even though we have move away from the idea of racism pretty quickly, people still look down upon African-Americans and now, added newly to the list, people from South America and immigrants. People also blame immigrants for taking the jobs and educational positions as students, of the American people. They need to understand the fact that most of these people, American citizen or immigrant, are accepted based on their merit. AA gives them that boost against the donations parents make to the college that their children are applying to or the advantage some colleges give to legacies. AA makes the playing field equal.
Bibliography
Ogletree, Charles. “The Case For Affirmative Action.”Stanford Magazine. Stanford University. Web. 11/6/14.
Charles Ogletree(http://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/10635/Ogletree)
-Professor at Harvard
– Graduated from Stanford
– Founding and Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice
– books- Life without Parole: America’s New Death Penalty?
The Presumption of Guilt: The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Race, Class, and Crime in America
Stanford University
- opened in 1885
- has many creditable alumni like president Herbert Hoover.
- fourth best university in the country
Terms
Jim Crow Laws
Stigmatize
Summary
Olgetree was born in a California town where people just earn enough to survive. They didn’t fully live. He was introduced to Stanford through his high school counselors. He makes the point that he got into a white majority school with the help of Affirmative Action. His argument points to the fact that whites look at the minority of whites who don’t get into their choice of college. What they should consider is that in 2012 while 24,608 whites got their Ph.D, only 1,455 African Americans got theirs in America. According to him, even though AA has brought them a long way, there are still some discriminatory thoughts in people’s minds today. This has led to high poverty in African communities and limited education. When it comes to looking at test scores, Africans aren’t even looked at because they are so low. Olgetree believes that “given the opportunity, will display their ability.” Also those who think that AA harms the minorities, should know that without it, minorities would still be discriminated like before. He states that people and society should become so diverse, that AA shouldn’t be needed to keep the diversity.
I agree with the points that Olgetree makes. When he states that whites hide the majority, it reminds me of the slave trade in which whites cunningly separated African families. They only looked at the Africans violently when they revolt but ignored the brutality the Africans suffered from the whites. Also I cant imagine the US without Affirmative Action. The lack of a diversification policy would probably recreate the segregation that existed in the 1940s and 50s. The only difference this time would be that Africans wouldn’t be the only minorities being discriminated against.
Important Quotes
“I grew up in Merced, Calif., in an environment where many of my peers viewed merely staying alive and getting a job as a successful course in life.”
“It is a small but significant way to compensate victims of slavery, Jim Crow laws, discrimination and immigration restrictions.”
“affirmatively including the formerly excluded.”
“There are critics of affirmative action who claim it is no longer needed, or unfairly discriminates “in reverse” or “stigmatizes” admitted minority students.”
“Opponents rely on the exceptional case, not the rule. (Just as they tend to point to the minuscule number of failures rather than the many successes.) ” The white majority gets into their choice of college.
https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=43428
HUFFINGTON POST
Bibliography
Gerber, Scott. “Affirmative Action and the Crisis in Higher Education”, Huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post. aug. 15, 2014. Web. Nov. 8, 2014.
Scott Gerber (http://law.onu.edu/faculty_staff/faculty_staff_profiles/scott_d_gerber)
- Professor at North Ohio University
- Clerk for the Rhode Island court system
- part of the Supreme Court bar.
Huffington Post
- Won the pulitzer prize in 2012
- Ranked #1 popular political site in 2012
Summary
Gerber talks about the over the use of Affirmative Action ever since it was created in the 1960s. With the lack of funding for colleges, there is limited space so it is unfair to base selection off of race. Not only colleges but also in workplaces AA is overused. A friend of the author had an opening at his workplace but only if the worker was African. In a tough economy it is unfair to only open up the job to a minority and not give anyone else a chance. Another college dean just disregarded the white applicant population when it came to finalizing the students in order to diversify the school. ALso many large scholarships are offered to people based on race. Gerber believes that the Affirmative Action is more powerful than it is intended to be and needs to be stopped.
Gerber makes many good points in his article like Affirmative action being a major point in the application process instead of a small boost. In an time of limited funding, without this boost minorities would have no education at all and only a small amount of minorities are capable of competing with whites in terms of grades. Also in economic hardships, an unemployed minority population would be larger than in a time of economic prosperity. In my opinion affirmative action is intended to limit discrimination instead of ending it. No matter how hard someone tries, discrimination will never end.
Quotes
“The heavy-headed use of racial and ethnic preferences in student admissions, financial aid, and faculty hiring is also to blame”
“While the Supreme Court has said that race may be a plus factor in admissions decisions, it has never said that race can be the basis for scholarship awards once an applicant has been admitted. ”
“Our university has offered the Law School money for an extra faculty slot, but only if the appointee is black. I know we’re not alone in this, but it seems even more obviously illegal than arrangements that give preferences to minorities.”
STANFORD- CON
Bibliography
Sacks, David. Thiel, Peter. “The Case Against Affirmative Action.” Stanford.edu. Stanford University. Web. Nov 15, 2014.
David Sacks
- CEO of Yammer industries
- Co-author of “The Diversity Myth: ‘Multiculturalism” and the Politics of Intolerance at Stanford”
- Stanford alumni
- Vice President of Microsoft’s Office Division
Peter Thiel
- Cofounder of Paypal
- President of Clarium Capital
- #293 on Forbes 400 in 2011
Stanford
- opened in 1885
- has many creditable alumni like president Herbert Hoover.
- fourth best university in the country
Terms
Diversity
Acrimony
Diversity Matrix
Summary
Sacks and Thiel point the negatives of Affirmative Action. After all these years, 25 to be exact, Affirmative Action is trying to tackle a problem doesn’t exist anymore. Instead of only helping out the minorities, it has now created a reverse discrimination. The majority popular is being left out due to this law. According a survey, the difference between white applicant SAT scores and the minority applicant score was 177 points. Even with this vast difference, minorities were treated as equally of capable of surviving the intense coursework at Stanford. The authors also suggest a change in the process. Instead of basing “diversity” off of race, it should be based off of unique characteristics. Things like talents and sexual preference should be considered. This would give all the applicants a fair chance instead of giving one population a “small plus.” These racial preferences are especially hurtful to poor whites. They cannot compete against the small percent of the minority that is well-off and live their life in luxury. With the removal of Affirmative Action from Stanford, each student who will be admitted will deserve to be there and not because of some genetic characteristic.
I completely agree with the fact that diversity could also be based off of personal traits and talents. This would also increase the knowledge on campus with students teaching other new things. It would create a learning environment that isn’t only academic. But I disagree with the fact that Affirmative Action has done nothing in the past 25 years. It has created a more equalized workforce and opportunities for minorities. Compared to the 1960s and 70s, today is a much better lifestyle for African-Americans and other immigrant populations. Without Affirmative Action the 60s and 70s are very likely to come back.
Quotes
“Stanford has been discriminating in favor of racial minorities in admissions, hiring, tenure, contracting and financial aid.”
“Originally conceived as a means to redress discrimination, racial preferences have instead promoted it”
“Another myth is that preferences simply give minority applicants a small ‘plus.’ ”
“But if “diversity” were really the goal, then preferences would be given on the basis of unusual characteristics, not on the basis of race.”
TIME MAGAZINE
Bibliography
Toure. “Why We Still Need Affirmative Action.” Time.com. Time Magazine. Oct 12, 2012. Web. Nov 15, 2014.
Toure (Toure.com)
- Wrote other books about racism like Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness, Never Drank the Kool-aid, Soul City, and The Portable Promised Land.
- His book was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work of Non-Fiction.
Time Magazine
- Found in 1923 by editors of the Yale Daily News, Briton Hadden and Henry Luce.
- Largest magazine in the world.
Terms
Fisher vs Texas at Austin
“court watchers”
Summary
According to Toure, Affirmative Action lacks the effectiveness it was suppose to have. It still hasn’t fulfilled it’s purpose. Toure states that while Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor support and defend Affirmative Action, the vote seems to be falling on the “conservative” side. Without it, the top colleges in the country will only have white students and no racial diversity. Graduating from a top college might not be a big factor for rich white students but for minorities its worlds apart. According to a study, minorities are more likely to get a job if they graduated from a reputed college. If Affirmative Action is removed, then this advantage will be lost. Also it will increase the already existing disparity in the unemployment rate. Compared to 7% of the white U.S population being unemployed, 13% of the African-American population is without a job. Over the years this percentage has come to what it is today due to the AA. Toure himself states that he has achieved more than his own father since he grew up Affirmative Action to give him a boost.
Affirmative Action has brought minorities a long way since the 60s. It has created a brighter future for kids from minority backgrounds. More doors have been opened up to people with lack of access to useful resources. The people who are open these resources are not aware of the struggle that others got through. Toure states that people just need a chance to prove themselves. A person just needs the right push to show off what capabilities he/she has. Improper or lacking learning environments can prevent that from happening.
Quotes
“ Despite several decades of affirmative action, the black unemployment rate remains double the white unemployment rate, over 13% vs. under 7%”
“ Race is an important factor of who I am and how I am perceived, which is the case for all human beings, at least in America.”
“I do not think I am any smarter or harder-working than my father, but I have outearned and outachieved him because he grew up during segregation while I grew up in the 1970s, during the early wave of diversity admissions at private schools that had not previously been open to black and Hispanic students.”