Affirmative Action Still Necessary?

Affirmative Action Still Necessary?

Affirmative action is “the practice of improving the educational and job opportunities of members of groups that have not been treated fairly in the past because of their race, sex, etc.” (Merriam-Webster). This practice was acceptable in the nineteen sixties but fifty years later there is no place for it in modern times. Affirmative action should be abolished at all institutions, public and private, because it lowers the accountability of those who are already below standards, prevents a truly color blind society, and it facilitates reverse discrimination, even though affirmative action supporters tout that it creates needed diversity and reparations for past grievances of minorities.

In the very important year of 1964 the United States government passed the The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which essentially brought an end to discrimination based on race, colour, religion or national origin. It guaranteed equal voting rights, prohibited segregation in places of public accommodation and banned sex-based discrimination, by trade unions, schools and employers. This was a great stride in American history and shortly after affirmative action plans followed. Affirmative action in terms of educational opportunities pushes minority students ahead of other prospective students when applying to a institution of higher learning, such as a college or university. These students are usually less academically enabled and thus they are more likely to drop out. This is called the “mismatch” theory where minorities, specifically blacks and hispanics, are pushed given a boost in the application process for higher, more prestigious schools and then once the students get into these schools they end up dropping out because the workload is overwhelming. The national graduation rate for African-Americans is a low 42 percent while the national average for all graduates is at 59 percent (“Black…”)...