The Content of our Character

Affirmative action is one of the more polarizing issues for conservatives and liberals. As a liberal, I believe affirmative action takes the right steps toward reversing centuries of discrimination against ethnic minorities and it must be preserved. I supported the judicial decision allowing colleges and universities to use race and ethnicity as a factor of admission. Until she United States is completely a level playing field, affirmative action will be imperative to achieving our goal of an equal society.

Recently, the first time since Brown v. Board of Education which opened up educational opportunities for millions of Americans, our public schools have grown increasingly segregated by race. In our cities, indices of black-white segregation suggest extreme separation of minorities far beyond the levels reported in other multi-racial societies such as Brazil, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. In fact, the only other nation where minority segregation indices routinely exceed those reported in the United States was the Union of South Africa under apartheid.

Our diversity as Americans is not a weakness, but a strength, and it is absolutely essential that we nurture programs that enhance opportunities for those who have been historically left behind. To do nothing, to end affirmative action, is to fall back into the de facto segregation of the past, which made a joke of democracy, equality, liberty and justice - the very values on which the United States was founded.

President Johnson framed the underlying concept of affirmative action in a speech at Howard University in 1965, "You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: 'now, you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please.' You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, 'you are free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe you have been completely fair . . . This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity—not just legal equity but human ability—not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result."

One of the largest misunderstandings about affirmative action is that it is a “quota” system. I don’t know how that perception began, but it is entirely inaccurate. Preferences and background are included in affirmative action, because ethnic minorities do not, on average, have the same educational advantages, or career opportunities. It is necessary, therefore, to correct those inequalities.

Another myth is that “the only way to create a color-blind society is to adopt color-blind policies.” Although this statement sounds reasonable, the reality is that color-blind policies often put racial minorities at a disadvantage. For example, all else being equal, color-blind seniority systems tend to protect white workers against job layoffs, because senior employees are usually white. Likewise, color-blind college admissions favor white students because of their earlier educational advantages. Unless preexisting inequities are corrected or otherwise taken into account, color-blind policies do not correct racial injustice -- they reinforce it.

Affirmative action is necessary because a truly level playing field for all Americans is still an elusive goal, not a reality. We must all stand united in support of affirmative action. Our nation is at a decisive junction; we must not send our nation back into the darkest moments in our history, but instead lead our nation to a fair and just future.