Affirmative Action Is It Still Needed - 1544 Words

In the United States justice is defined as equal treatment of all its citizens under the law. When one citizen is mistreated an injustice has been committed against all people. Affirmative Action is a program whose purpose is to make sure that citizens are treated equally by enforcing a set of policies which are designed to promote the inclusion of all individuals regardless of race, disability, sex, or religion. In the United States democracy we are all equal, but some groups have been enjoying more advantages in society than others for centuries. Current statistics show the depth of modern day racial gaps, which are rooted in historical discrimination and modern-day structural racism. Generations of nominal disadvantages have created†¦show more content†¦Many people have built up stereotypes about certain minority groups and women and believe that that hiring a white male would be the best option because they are more dependable. This ignorance prompts businesses to hire o nly white males and not minorities or women, and if not for affirmative action then that’s all modern day Corporate America would be full of those who are â€Å"dependable†. Let’s not forget the racism that prompted affirmative action to be initiated. African Americans were a depressed race for many years because they were thought of as less than human beings and were treated unfairly until recently. Women were unable to vote, work, or even own land for many years. Does affirmative action produce some form of reverse discrimination (Dworkin 1986)? The answer to that question would be no it doesn’t; it just evens the playing field or counter acts the discrimination that it already out there. Without a program out there to enforce equality for all men and women, who’s to say we won’t revert back to our old ways? Basically everyone is not cut from the same cloth. Meaning every person is not afforded the same opportunities to succeed in todayâ €™s society and some are given much less than others. Even with affirmative action (and much more so if it were to be Swindell 4 eliminated), African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians face grossly unequal opportunity in American society. Consider the following facts. If youShow MoreRelatedaffirmative action1695 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Abstract What is affirmative action? Affirmative action is an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, esp. in relation to employment or education; positive discrimination. In the 1940s: President Roosevelt signed an order making discrimination illegal in defense contracting. 1954: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separate but equal facilities on the basis of race were unconstitutionally discriminatory. The Act of 1964: CongressRead MoreAffirmative Action Should Not Be Legal1188 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmative action is stated as, â€Å"the encouragement of increased representation of women and minority-group members, especially in employment† (dictionary.com, 2015). Within our time and during most of the civil rights movement minority groups have always found it harder to secure more efficient and higher paying jobs due to racism, stereotypical people, and their behavior. With this being the cause to affirmative action c ongress had to put a law into effect to ensure that this would not continueRead MoreEssay on Affirmative Action863 Words   |  4 Pageshis famous â€Å"I have a Dreamquot; speech in Washington, D.C. in 1963. Is affirmative action still needed in America? Affirmative action is still needed because America does not have enough equality and diversity. Almost all of our American history dealt with inequality between the white men and the black men. As time went on, nothing has changed and is still seen in today’s society. There are two definitions of affirmative action: 1) race-neutral, gender-neutral assurance against actual discriminationRead MoreRacial Inequality And Affirmative Action900 Words   |  4 Pagesbarriers, President John F. Kennedy created the affirmative action program to provide equal opportunities for everyone, whether in education or in the workforce. Even if this was a program created in the 1960’s, problems continue to present itself as shown thr ough the many court cases, such as Brown vs. Board of Education, Fisher vs. University of Texas, Grutter vs. Bollinger et al, and Hopwood vs. State of Texas. Thus, racial inequality and affirmative action continues to be a controversial topic evenRead MoreAffirmative Action : An Effective Organization1430 Words   |  6 PagesEssay Professor Jeffery Cahan 05/10/2016 Affirmative Action According to Merriam Webster, by definition â€Å"Affirmative Action is an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women. Also similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons† Affirmative action has been a hot topic among some American citizens and government officials. â€Å"Affirmative action is the process of a business or governmentalRead MoreAffirmative Action : The United States956 Words   |  4 PagesAffirmative Action Affirmative Action has been around for many decades from around the 1940s. Although it has not always been called affirmative action, the official title was not introduced until the 1960s. Back then affirmative action was more known as segregation or discrimination in the workplace or there lack of. The women and people of color were the targets of discrimination, which several presidents tried to correct for equality. The Past During the Great Depression affirmative actionRead MoreAffirmative Action : A Set Of Procedures905 Words   |  4 PagesAffirmative Action is defined as â€Å"a set of procedures designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination between applicants, remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future. Applicants may be seeking admission to an educational program or looking for professional employment.† (â€Å"Affirmative Action†). Diversity within the communities, needed a way to be maintained in both school and places of work. Affirmative action was originally put in place to ensureRead More Affirmitive Action Essay1106 Words   |  5 Pages Affirmative Action is the name given to programs that try to correct past and ongoing discriminations against women, racial minorities, and others in the work force and in education. The principal goal of Affirmative Action is to create more diversity and equal opportunities in jobs or scho ols that used to be all or mostly male, white, or both. Affirmative Action programs have been in place only a little over thirty years. Affirmative action works. There are thousands of examples of situations whereRead MoreAffirmative Action At The United States1634 Words   |  7 Pageswrong with you? Why, nothing. You have everything we are looking for, it’s just†¦you’re black†¦Ã¢â‚¬  First established in 1961, Affirmative action (in the United States) was/is a practice in which the purpose is to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women (Merriam Webster). Fast forward to today’s society and what is affirmative action now? Considering the prevalence of diversity in the workplace and in educational facilities, it should be of utmost importanceRead MoreThe Equal Employment Opportunity Act1119 Words   |  5 Pagessometimes due to discrimination. Through this act, Affirmative Action was established to ensure that a certain amount of minorities were able to get a quality education and to get jobs in places that they would have struggled to be employed at before. Affirmative Action has helped minorities get the education and jobs that they need. Overall, this system has made up for some of the past discrimination that has affected these minority groups. Affirmative Action should be used until racial and gender imbalance