In the Future…

Is affirmative action still needed?  Many will state that once an African-American became president, affirmative action must have run its course.  Others will state that racism is still a reality, and as long as there is racism we will need policies to offset the damage. 

In the future perhaps more states will control their own polices.  Perhaps minorities will actually have equal rights without needed legislation.  Or perhaps we will need affirmative action for years to come.

What do you think?

Arguments

CA Legislation

Some states have legislation that bans affirmative action, including CA.  Proposition 209 was promoted as a civil rights proposition, but in effect banned affirmative action.  This proposition states, "the state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting." 

 

History

In 1965, President Johnson issued U.S Executive order 11246, later amended by Executive order 11375. The order, as amended, aims "to correct the effects of past and present discrimination". It prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, skin color, religion, gender, or national origin. The order requires that contractors take affirmative action to ensure that "protected class, underutilized applicants" are employed when available, and that employees are treated without negative discriminatory regard to their protected-class status.

The order specifically requires certain organizations accepting federal funds to take affirmative action to increase employment of members of preferred racial or ethnic groups and women. Any organization with fifty or more employees and an aggregate revenue exceeding $50,000 from a single federal contract during a twelve month period must have a written affirmative action plan. This plan must include goals and timetables for achieving full utilization of women and members of racial minorities, in quotas based on an analysis of the current workforce compared to the availability in the general labor pool of women and members of racial minorities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States

Welcome

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog on affirmative action in 2010.  I'll start with a brief history of affirmative action and then dive into arguments for and against affirmative action.  I’ll discuss if we still need affirmative action, and if we will need it in the future.