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Affirmative Action


            Affirmative Action is an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups or women. In 1961 John F.Kennedy issued an executive order calling for Affirmative Action as a means to promote equal opportunity for racial minorities, in hiring by federal contractors. This was the first official use of the term by the Federal Government. Eight years later Nixon as President beefed up the Office of Federal Compliance Programs, which along with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has become one of the government's two main enforcers of affirmative action policy. Such efforts have vastly expanded opportunities for African Americans. However they have also touched off complaints from many whites that African Americans are benefiting from reverse discrimination. Under the equal opportunity act of 1972 most federal contractors, subcontractors, all state and government institutions (including universities) must initiate plans to increase the proportions of their female and minority employees until they are equal to the proportions existing in the available labor market. .
             Many people believe affirmative action is wrong and will not help solve the problems minorities face. The reason it is wrong is because it is discrimination. When an employer hires anyone because he or she is a minority, even if someone else if more qualified to do the job, it is seen as discrimination. It can be classified as s reverse discrimination, when whites are discriminated against and minorities are being discriminated for. Affirmative action legalizes discrimination. Racism has the possibility of becoming worse because of it, and that is the very thing it is trying to prevent. It is possible that because of affirmative action, racism will grow and continue to grow until history repeats itself. In addition to that, people say affirmative action is tolerable because it cures past discrimination.


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