Affirmative Action

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how affirmative action, developed as an attempt to address racial imbalances in education, the workplace and the military, has long been a contentious issue. The paper explains that a major part of the argument focuses on whether affirmative action is itself a form of discrimination against individuals who do not happen to be a member of one of the minority groups this legislation was designed to benefit. The paper explores the issue and concludes that affirmative action - if handled with care - can be a way to lessen and eventually eliminate ingrained biases and so ultimately achieve equal rights and opportunities for all.

From the Paper:

"Discrimination is the source of affirmative action. The program was first created as a means of remedying past instances of racial prejudice. As we are all taught, equality is one of the cornerstones of the American Republic. Our Founding Fathers were supposed to have brought forth a nation that was conceived in liberty, justice, and equality for all. Bearing this in mind, I believe it is quite logical our government and society should seek out the means to achieving racial equality. All civilized societies are divided, legally or otherwise, into disparate groups. These groups may be economic or socio-economic in origin. In other cases, these divisions are based upon religious or ethnic origins, real or perceived."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "The 26 Worst Colleges for White Students and Faculty (Based on the survey by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education)." (12 November 2002). Adversity.net. URL: http://www.adversity.net/0_Education/Articles/jbhe26worst.htm.
• Black Republican. (5 July 2004). URL: http://www.theblackrepublican.net/archives/cat_history.html.
• Card, Orson Scott. (2003). "The Elusive Goal of Intellectual Diversity." The Ornery American: War Watch. URL: http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2003-11-30-1.html.
• Cohen, C., & Sterba, J. P. (2003). Affirmative Action and Racial Preference: A Debate. New York: Oxford University Press.
• "Miami University's Statement of Non-Discrimination: Affirmative Action Myths and Misconceptions." (2002). Oxford, OH: Miami University. URL: http://www.units.muohio.edu/oeeo/Myths.htm.

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