...Affirmative Action Affirmative action is a government policy that gives opportunities to minorities, women, and any group who has been the victim of discrimination in the past. Affirmative action is the outcome of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement, growing out of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or gender. It was the 1978 Supreme Court decision, The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, which allowed for the use of race-based preferences as a means of fostering diversity, allowing affirmative action to be used in admissions policies. It was created with the intention to provide equal opportunities for members of minority groups in education and employment. Initially affirmative action focused on improving opportunities for African Americans. Colleges and universities used Affirmative action in their admission process, with the hopes of increasing their enrollment of African Americans and later Hispanic students, two minorities that were falling behind in college acceptance rates. According to data from the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES), in 2007, 70 percent of white high school graduates immediately enrolled in college, compared to 56 percent of African American graduates and 61 percent of Hispanic graduates. As more and more educational institutions began using affirmative action policies in their admissions process, it became a target of great debate. With Americans taking sides as affirmative...
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...Affirmative Action In an effort to improve this organization and to provide a positive workplace environment, it is my recommendation that the Board of Directors of this company should implement and sustain an affirmative action policy to ensure equal opportunity for all employees. Such a policy should establish specific standards to prevent discrimination against any employee based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or veteran status. This affirmative action policy should also comply with all equal opportunity laws and regulations. The underlying motive for affirmative action is the Constitutional principle of equal opportunity, which holds that all persons have the right to equal access to self-development (Encyclopedia of Small Business, 2006). Discrimination is illegal as well as immoral. The adverse treatment of an individual based on class or category goes against the belief that America is the land of opportunity. Affirmative action attempts to correct and prevent further discriminatory actions. A thorough analysis of the make-up of this organization will provide a basis with which to begin drafting an effective affirmative action policy that will ultimately ensure that the workforce of this company is diverse, adequately trained, and promoted equally. The goals of this proposed affirmative action policy is to ensure that all prospective employees that are members of a protected-class receive proportionate consideration, the pursuit of fair...
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...Counter arguments, Disproving other side, Con affirmative action Affirmative Action has been a long debated issue in United States. One group believes affirmative action should be abolished and other group thinks it serves an essential purpose. Our group believes Affirmative Action is fair and we still need it to eliminate discrimination and establish inequality to make our country is a better place. The continued use of affirmative action is still needed to address our existing discrimination and to break down all the barriers to make sure each individual have an equal opportunity so that they can prove themselves in the society as per their talents and abilities. Compare to other countries United States have made significant progress in recent years in creating equal access to opportunity, but we still need to accomplish more. Affirmative action worked as a proven solution that had been addressing existing discrimination and promoting equal opportunity. Ending affirmative action would end the dreams of opportunity for many. “The fundamental purpose of affirmative action is to further equal opportunity and counter or prevent current discrimination. Importantly, affirmative action programs have a positive impact not only on women and people of color, but all members of our society”. This program ensures equality and provides opportunity to many women, people of color, disabled, and veterans. It is a path where they can compete and be evaluated fairly for jobs and education...
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...Many have argued over the years that affirmative action in schools or the workforce is necessary for the fusion and equality of our culture. In the book, Taking Sides, two different authors discuss each view of either side of the issue. Affirmative Action began as a government policy to aid in ending racial discrimination and promote equal opportunities to minorities. Both Robert Staples and Roger Clegg have a solid view of where they stand on the issue of affirmative action. Staples agrees that affirmative action is necessary to achieve racial equality. He does not believe that the United States has reached the point of being a color-blind society. Staples sees racism still being present in our modern society. Staples argues that the argument against affirmative action is only a plot to keep the white men at their privileged status at the expense of the minorities. Staples points out affirmative action is not a program used exclusively by blacks. White women are often the primary beneficiaries. Also, he recognizes that minorities, specifically blacks, are still being treated unfairly and unequally. Staples argues that there is no clear definition for Affirmative Action. It tends to be interpreted differently by many people. It has been estimated that five million people of color have gotten their jobs due to affirmative action. His stance on the issue of affirmative action is that it is the fairest way to include everyone to an equal opportunity, whether it is in the schools...
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...Affirmative action, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. In this paper I will discuss the history of affirmative action and its effects on education in our society, and whether a program such as affirmative action is still necessary today. I will argue why affirmative action is necessary for minorities to gain equal opportunities educationally and how affirmative action helps to mend the wounds that past discrimination has inflicted upon minorities. Affirmative action requires that supervisors in charge of economic and educational opportunities take into consideration a candidate’s sex, disabilities, and ethnic background when accepting positions, especially if the candidate’s ethnic affiliation has had a history of racial discrimination. These minority groups are entitled to special considerations, typically viewed as payments made by the government to settle past discrimination. The effects of affirmative action have been well seen in educational systems where educators have long been pressured into giving preference to minorities even if they have lesser qualifications, to help write off past discrimination. Affirmative action was established on the basis that because of the past discrimination of races, our nation was unable to flourish into what it should have become, a...
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...Running Head: AFFERMATIVE ACTION Affirmative Actions Affirmative action is an action taken by an organization to select on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity by giving due preferences to minorities like women and races being not adequately represented under the existing employment. To make the presentation of all these compositions almost equal in proportion to do away the injustice done in the past. The Supreme Company need to design an affirmative action program in the light of recent Supreme Court judgment passed in favor of affirmative actions to be adopted by various companies. Affirmative action is not free from controversies. It is one of the issues in the country, which has raked most controversies since past few decades. The purpose is the implementation would be correct the past discriminative actions against the minorities. It is a fact that minorities are not well represented in all the sectors of U.S economy. The logic and rational always given against the affirmative actions that it kills the meritocracy and the policy is of bringing in favoritism in the spirit of work culture. This would lead to loss in productivity and would be instrumental in bringing down the morale of work forces. This rational would have justification had the philosophy of affirmatives been laid without proper designing it. Care need to be taken in observing each and every details that how it is going to affect the meritocracy, the percentage of minorities like...
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...Abstract Using research references written by Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander, Laura P. Hartman, Raina Kelley, Brian Lilley and Jonathan Stempel, I examined the results of their findings in relation to my project. Based on their information, I determined affirmative action is still an instrumental tool in balancing the work force in the United States. There are still jobs that are out of reach for certain minority groups. As long as this imbalance exists so does the need for affirmative action. Do We Need Affirmative Action? Is affirmative action still needed in today’s society? Some people do not think so; others do. I believe affirmative action is still necessary as long as a minority group of people (Blacks, Hispanics, Women, etc.) attempting to acquire jobs in certain markets believes they are not getting those jobs because they are being discriminated against by the majority group that holds them. I will attempt to present some sources to reinforce my conclusion. I will discuss the original purpose of affirmative action and present some cases being discussed or ruled on in present day courts. I hope to show that affirmative action expands opportunity by promoting inclusion of underrepresented minorities in all areas of the job market and it is not intended to take jobs away from those in the majority. Its Purpose I’ve been in the military since 1987. The military has a zero tolerance rule for any type of discrimination and it’s strictly enforced from the top...
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...Eddiana Hernandez MGMT 463-61 Prof. Palmiere Final Paper Affirmative Action: Exploring a Common Ground The term affirmative action was introduced by President Kennedy during the Cold War and around the Civil Rights Movement it was then expanded by President Johnson. Affirmative action programs were created in an attempt to make sure that all groups within a society are given the same opportunity to succeed in the workplace and higher education. It has always been a controversial topic because of the guidelines surrounding it and the alleged double standard it creates since it protects some groups and leaves others out of the “iron umbrella”. Usually Caucasian males are against the action and most of the time demand reform or abolition of such programs. And that is because Caucasian and Asian males are not protected under the act. Affirmative action is one of those programs I believe have a double standard and therefore I have decided to look at it from both perspectives giving it a glance from a compromising way from both opponents and advocates of the act. Over the years it has given people opportunities that otherwise would have not been possible for the person who is part of a minority group but it had also affected the other areas in our society. The issue I have with the act is that is been used as the solely deciding factor to give someone a chance. For example, an African America high school graduate should not be getting into college just for simple fact of being...
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...Affirmative Action The Emancipation Proclamation issued January 1, 1863, set slaves in the confederate states free. The Thirteenth Amendment permanently abolished slavery. The former confederate states, not wanting to let go of their control over blacks, established the restrictive “Black Codes.” The Civil Rights Act of 1866 proposed by Andrew Johnson was the first Civil Rights act ever written. The act was turned down by congress. The act would have given all blacks the same rights as whites. The issue of discrimination has been addressed in the court system many times. Beginning with the Dred Scott v. Sanford (1) case, in which the Supreme Court ruled, that blacks as “subordinate and inferior beings,” could not constitutionally be citizens of the United States. More recently, the Bakke case gave a look at the workings of affirmative action. A white student was denied admission to U.C. Davis because the school had already met its quotas for white students. “Affirmative action”(2) is a term coined by President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. In an executive order Johnson declared that federal contractors should take “affirmative action,” this was to guarantee that “applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” Executive Order #11246 would increase the number of minorities employed by federal contractors. This order would become a major policy issue for...
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...“Affirmative action” means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity—affirmative action generates intense controversy. Definition of Diversity The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual. Back to Diversity Initiatives Home Page Pros to Affirmative action: The Pro-Affirmative Action Side: It is a Fair and Necessary Program Proponents of Affirmative Action say that it is necessary to ensure that minorities have a fair opportunity in employment and education. The American Civil Liberties Union Briefing Paper #17 lists a number of reasons why Affirmative Action remains vital; among the statistics shared: Read more at Suite101: The Pros and Cons of Affirmative...
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...Though affirmative action may have been valuable in the beginning, it has long since outlived any usefulness it may have had. That it ever had any usefulness is questionable, based on comparisons between overall black populations socioeconomic standing today and that of the mid-1960’s. Today, it is little more than a scapegoat behind which inferior performance can hid very well, and that scapegoat’s upkeep has become far too extravagant in today’s society. “We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock my brothers and sisters--Plymouth Rock landed on us,” Malcolm X’s observation is brought out by the facts of America history. Snatched from their native land transported thousands of miles--in a nightmare of disease and death and sold into slavery blacks were reduced into the legal status of farm animals. Even after emancipation, blacks were segregated from whites--in some states by law, in social practice almost everywhere. American apartheid continued for another century. In 1954 the Supreme Court declared state compelled segregation in schools unconstitutional, and it followed up that decisions with others that struck down many other forms of official segregation. Still discrimination survived, and in most southern states blacks were either discouraged or prohibited from excersizing their rights to vote. Not until the 1960’s was compulsory segregation finally and effectively challenged. Between 1964 and 1968 congress passed the most sweeping legislation since the end of...
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...Writing Assignment: Affirmative Action Affirmative action is referred to as a deliberate effort to provide full and equal opportunities in employment, education, and other areas for women, minorities, and individuals belonging to other traditionally disadvantaged groups. As an issue in today’s society, affirmative action requires corporations, universities, and other organizations to establish programs designed to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly. It also places a burden of proof on the providers of opportunities to demonstrate that their granting of opportunities to white males is not discriminatory. To some extent, I do think slavery produced benefits for whites indirectly and passively. This happened through the process of human capital formation (20/20). Slaves made it possible for many whites to go into more rewarding occupations, gain increased skills, and to generate greater lifetime earnings for themselves and their descendants. After slavery, exclusions and discrimination allowed millions of Americans and immigrants to enter occupations with greater projections. In these ways, racism generated income and wealth that continues to appear in present-day recipients. Although discrimination still exists in the workplace today, I do think that it has a much less presence because of the implementation of affirmative action programs. Quite recently, there have been numerous debates regarding whether or not reparations for affirmative action programs should...
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...Affirmative Action Joshua Guest POS/110 August 22, 2010 Lisa Beiduk Affirmative Action Affirmative action was introduced in 1961 by President Kennedy as a form of redressing discrimination that was still present despite the civil rights laws and constitutional guarantees (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2007). Affirmative action aims at providing minorities and women equal rights to employment and education. Affirmative action was debatable since it began in the 1960’s and is still a very debatable topic today. Affirmative action requires increased attention and knowledge to understand both the pros and the cons of affirmative action and allow people to make educated decisions on affirmative action being beneficial or detrimental. Affirmative action is a set of public policies aimed at protecting the civil rights of underprivileged individuals of minority races or who are women. Affirmative action policies require that all state and local governments and all businesses associated with government funding must adopt the principles of affirmative action (Edwards III, Wattenberg, Lineberry, 2008). The principle action of affirmative action is the better treatment of members of minority groups and women. Many argued that affirmative action policies were violating the principle of the law which states all individuals are equal. The policies related to affirmative action needed some mending. While affirmative action was a stepping...
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...History of Affirmative Action Human Resources Research Paper BUSI 526 Section D October 30, 2010 Aurelia Mouton Abstract Affirmative action has a relatively short history in the United States. The idea of affirmative action begin to come into play in 1961 when politicians and Presidents alike believed that there needed to be a way to rectify the previous injustices dealt to the minority community in regards to workplace. The text mentions that affirmative action uses “numerical analysis to determine which (if any) target groups the firm is underutilizing relative to the relevant labor market” (Dessler, 2011, 60) and that affirmative action was put into place to eliminate barriers to equal employment. This may be true but from its’ very inception, affirmative action has been met with resistance. History of Affirmative Action Affirmative action has seemed to find its way into the lives of many. It was originally created to make employment opportunities and practices fair for people that were non-white U.S. citizens but has since grown and evolved into much more. The beginning concept of affirmative action was to make right the many years that African Americans were bound because of slavery, discrimination after the abolition of slavery and lack of education that prevented many of them from getting decent jobs. Many positive things can be said about affirmative action when it works; however there are many people that fight against it because of...
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...“To what extent are Affirmative Action programs no longer needed in the United States?” Affirmative Action is a policy in the United States that “aims to enhance educational and career opportunities for minorities and women by granting them preferences in college and graduate school admissions, promotions, and contract awards.” (Boxill) Such programs are designed to ensure that qualified individuals in America have equal access to opportunity in areas such as education and employment, and receive a fair chance to contribute all their abilities. As T.H. Andersen points out: “Supporters declare themselves the champions of racial justice, protectors of Martin Lurher King’s Dream, while the opponents see themselves as the defenders of merit, of colorblind equal protection enshrined by the U.S. Constitution.” (Anderson Preface X) Therefore, although at first these programs were considered a huge success, many argue that Affirmative Action has been out dated and is not working anymore. Affirmative Action has served its purpose, and is no longer needed and should be abolished or reformed, as it will no longer be useful in helping eliminate the racial gaps in the United States. Affirmative Action has achieved a great deal since it was first introduced in the 1960s. Politicians have characterized Affirmative Action as a policy “designed to right the wrongs of the past, as a quota system, or a set of remedial programs aimed to compensate for the inadequacies of people of color”(Crosby...
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