Affirmative Action continues to grab headlines throughout the United States, after the recent Supreme Court decision on Fisher v University of Texas Americans debate the importance of cultural diversity and the most effect strategy to combat bigotry.
The Affirmative Action program exists for the purpose of accepting more minorities into higher education, however some would argue that this can exclude qualified whites from being accepted into college. Some students feel that a race box is unnecessary to include on a college application, while some believe that we must celebrate racial and cultural differences. The long lasting controversy heated up after the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the University of Texas’ acceptance process.
Student Abigail Fisher sued the university in 2008 for not accepting her because she is Caucasian. The court finally ruled in a 4-3 decision in favor or the University of Texas, promoting the continuation of Affirmative Action. “Indeed, to compel universities to admit students based on class rank alone is in deep tension with the goal of educational diversity as this Court’s cases have defined it,” said Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
“I am disappointed that the Supreme Court has ruled that students applying to the University of Texas can be treated differently because of their race or ethnicity,” Fisher said to the New York Times, “I hope that the nation will one day move beyond affirmative action.”
The case surrounding Affirmative Action sparks the arguments surrounding the best way to end racism. Some believe that we should ignore race in an effort to achieve true equity. “We should look at race like hair color,” said Wyatt Warberg, 16, “we shouldn’t give someone more of an opportunity based on their race.”
Meanwhile some students support the belief that racial differences must be acknowledged, and since equality has yet be achieved between ethnicities, we must honor our heritage. “If we don’t think about race then you lose a part of who you are,” said Grant Owens, 15.
Owens explains that he believes giving minorities more opportunities is especially important to create a culture of success. “The next generation can see people who look like them doing things,” said Owens. Specifically regarding the discussion around the race box on applications, he believes it helps celebrate diversity and also give more information on the student to see if they’d be interested in certain organizations. “I’m strongly against ignoring race,” said Owens, “your race is pretty important, it’s for clubs like the youth NAACP.”
However both students want to ensure that the majority has a fair shot at success. “We’re trying to accept everyone and we’re pushing white people away from opportunities,” said Warberg.
“It’s a double edged sword. You don’t want situational majorities to be excluded,” said Owens.
The necessity and effectiveness of Affirmative Action will continue to be decided. While most Americans want to simply move past racism, many wish to ensure that American culture celebrates our differences. We continue to search for true equity, and while it it easy to talk about, the hard part is finding the right path to equality
Information on graphic attributed to the US Department of Commerce.