Should affirmative action for colleges and universities be continued Research Paper

Should affirmative action for colleges and universities be continued - Research Paper Example The evolution of cultural perceptions relies on concepts being widely accepted, a progression that doesn’t appear to happen naturally without the assistance of affirmative action policies. Since its beginning, affirmative action has proved successful in balancing the scale of educational access equality. The quota system instituted by a school usually reflects the region’s ethnic demographics therefore allowing for actual educational opportunity that are not discriminatory towards any specific race. Although some in the majority racial group, Caucasians, may now perceive they are not being treated justly, the scale of justice is only now adjusted back toward to the middle thanks chiefly to the utilization of affirmative action which underscores the need for this system to continue. The U.S. government began affirmative action measures during the Civil Rights era of the 1960’s, in an effort to eliminate institutional racial discrimination. Starting with an executi ve order authored in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, these programs were sanctioned in an effort to equalize racial inequality. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) â€Å"prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin† (US Equal Employment Opportunity, 1997). The Supreme Court held in the 2003 University of Michigan case that â€Å"the University of Michigan’s use of race among other factors in its law school admissions program was constitutional† (History of Affirmative Action, 2003). This decision was a significant milestone in shaping the way we, as a society, will development. From its beginnings in the mid 1960’s, affirmative action has helped many thousands of formerly disadvantaged persons who, because of the law, have since earned previously denied access to a higher education. This includes persons of color, other types of minorities and women who were previously denied educational opportunities or were not given opportunities for advancement within the institution after given access. These advances have led to noticeable changes not only in the individual person’s life but in the significance society values the concept of justice for all. Affirmative action agendas do not have the capability to eliminate racist attitudes, but it mitigates some of the effects caused by it. The concept of affirmative action has suffered its critics and its implementation has not been without issues, but to eradicate this guiding principle of equal treatment would be to reverse the hard fought advancements of the Civil Rights Movement and turn back the time to the regretful days of overt racism prior to the mid-1960’s U.S. Arguments involving affirmative action policies are well more far reaching than the legal matter alone. It is the ethical responsibility of every person and institution in this nation to use all strategies of ending racial discrimination. However there is a s egment of society who does not acknowledge and have passionately challenged affirmative action on both legal grounds and as a social cure for bigotry. They say that affirmative action is a case in point where two wrongs do not make a right and claiming reverse discrimination has actually been the eventual result. Of course this faction does not challenge traditional means of discriminatory practices and