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Affirmative action

 

Although people of color and women have come a far way since the Civil Rights acts were passed, discrimination can still be seen all around us today.
             In 1991, President Bush and Congress appointed a 21-member Federal Glass Ceiling Committee to help identify the barriers that black the advancement of people of color and women into decision-making policies. In March when the committee reported back, this was what they had to say: "Today's American labor force is gender and race segregated- white men fill most top management positions in corporations." The U.S. Supreme Court also agrees that affirmative action is necessary because "In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open o talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity."(Supreme Court majority opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger, 2003).
             We can also see that there presently are still disparities in opportunities in America since women earn approximately 77 cents for every dollar men earn. Latinos earn 56 cents for every dollar white men earn. African- American men earn 75 percent of what white male men earn. And in 2002, the median household income for whites was $44,964 compared with $29,177 for blacks. And the poverty rate for blacks is almost triple that of whites.
             Is affirmative action fair? Yes, and affirmative action also encourages fairness. The affirmative action initiatives are designed to help companies, organizations, as well as educational institutions evaluate candidates justly- that is, based on their qualifications. These programs aim to provide equal access to opportunity for qualified individuals who might not have had a chance otherwise. Affirmative action does not penalize white males. Fairness requires ending biased practices, not perpetuating them, and that includes ending the unjust advantages traditionally enjoyed by whites and white men.


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