Affirmative Action - Annelise Pixler
This topic is one that has had a lot of controversy surrounding it since it was first implemented. I in no way think that I know everything about it this topic. Instead, I am extending the knowledge I have gained on how this initiative was first enacted and utilized, and what some benefits and perceived cons are. Affirmative action is defined as, “an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women” according to Merriam Webster Dictionary.
I’ll be looking at affirmative action through the lens of higher education. Affirmative action began around 1930 when schools such as Harvard were looking to get more attendees from outside of New England and the Middle Atlantic States (Dix, 2018). This was a very primitive and basic form of affirmative action, but the affirmative action that we are more well-versed in now wasn't formed until around the 1960s. Around this time, people were finally beginning to acknowledge that people of color could also be intellectuals, thus the birth of affirmative action -- actively seeking minority groups.
Here are the pros and cons that I have encountered. The perceived cons to affirmative action that I came across seemed to deal with the fact that people (i.e. white people) feel that affirmative action takes away the sentiment that admissions into a prestigious university are solely based upon merit. These people feel that affirmative action is hindering their chances to get into the university because others are let in based on their race/ethnicity/nationality/sex and not their intellectual abilities.
The pros, which outweigh the “cons” by a longshot, are things such as having more culturally diverse classrooms and making admissions teams read applications carefully to include people of all different backgrounds. When we make an effort to include people from backgrounds different to ours, we are forced to widen our worldview and hopefully, build a greater understanding of one another. While sure, affirmative action may make it harder for some to get into school, it doesn’t make it impossible, like it was for so many of these minority groups for a long time. We need to be making the steps necessary to include more voices, opinions, worldviews, and backgrounds. I also think when people bring up the fact that it is no longer based upon merit, they are forgetting a few big elements to their success. It is not uncommon for minority groups to have less access to resources that would help make them successful. There are so many factors that play into affirmative action, but ultimately makes a much more positive impact in my opinion.
I’m honestly not sure how to make people agree on this, especially in our social climate, but I do think it’s important to start acknowledging that not everyone begins their journey at an equal starting point. Some people have to work extremely hard to get to one person’s starting point, and by the time they get there, they may already be far behind others.
Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/willarddix/2018/08/08/why-you-should-be-thankful-for-colleges-use-of-affirmative-action/#79c0e9266299
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affirmative%20action
I’ll be looking at affirmative action through the lens of higher education. Affirmative action began around 1930 when schools such as Harvard were looking to get more attendees from outside of New England and the Middle Atlantic States (Dix, 2018). This was a very primitive and basic form of affirmative action, but the affirmative action that we are more well-versed in now wasn't formed until around the 1960s. Around this time, people were finally beginning to acknowledge that people of color could also be intellectuals, thus the birth of affirmative action -- actively seeking minority groups.
Here are the pros and cons that I have encountered. The perceived cons to affirmative action that I came across seemed to deal with the fact that people (i.e. white people) feel that affirmative action takes away the sentiment that admissions into a prestigious university are solely based upon merit. These people feel that affirmative action is hindering their chances to get into the university because others are let in based on their race/ethnicity/nationality/sex and not their intellectual abilities.
The pros, which outweigh the “cons” by a longshot, are things such as having more culturally diverse classrooms and making admissions teams read applications carefully to include people of all different backgrounds. When we make an effort to include people from backgrounds different to ours, we are forced to widen our worldview and hopefully, build a greater understanding of one another. While sure, affirmative action may make it harder for some to get into school, it doesn’t make it impossible, like it was for so many of these minority groups for a long time. We need to be making the steps necessary to include more voices, opinions, worldviews, and backgrounds. I also think when people bring up the fact that it is no longer based upon merit, they are forgetting a few big elements to their success. It is not uncommon for minority groups to have less access to resources that would help make them successful. There are so many factors that play into affirmative action, but ultimately makes a much more positive impact in my opinion.
I’m honestly not sure how to make people agree on this, especially in our social climate, but I do think it’s important to start acknowledging that not everyone begins their journey at an equal starting point. Some people have to work extremely hard to get to one person’s starting point, and by the time they get there, they may already be far behind others.
Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/willarddix/2018/08/08/why-you-should-be-thankful-for-colleges-use-of-affirmative-action/#79c0e9266299
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affirmative%20action
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