Affirmative action has been praised and pilloried as the answer to racial inequality. First introduced by President Kennedy in 1961, “Affirmative action” was designed as a method of reducing the discrimination that had remained despite the civil rights laws and constitutional guarantees.It was a method that was put in place as a “Temporary Measure to Level the Playing Field” through the offering of the same opportunities to all Americans.
While the “Affirmative Action” plan was intended to have good effects, it resulted in exposing the flaws in the system as “Reverse Racism” began to emerge and the “Bakke” case came about where a white male was rejected two years in a row in favor of admitting other minorities through a quota system.This “Reverse Racism” and other flaws led to a mounting anger against “Affirmative Action” and soon it became a Zero Sum Game as jobs and opportunities became open to minorities but not to whites. During this period, "Preferential treatment" and "quotas" became expressions of contempt.There has been a growing difficulty now in appreciating the “Affirmative Action” as even liberals have adopted the stance that affirmative action may even result in injustice as in the case of Wygant in 1986 where black employees kept their jobs while white employees with seniority were laid off.Recent cases have once again brought “Affirmative Action” into public view as in 2003; the Supreme Court decided that there was a right of affirmative action in higher education.
The relevance of this decision is that it somewhat creates a measure by which affirmative action can be implemented. In the 2003 Michigan Cases, it was stated that “Affirmative action was intended to promote a “Compelling State Interest” in diversity in not only a particular aspect of society but on all levels.References:"Re-rethinking Affirmative Action," Steven A. HolmesThe New York Times, April 5, 1998"A Case on Race Puts Justice O'Connor in a Familiar Pivotal Role," Linda GreenhouseThe New York Times, August 4, 1997"On Civil Rights, Clinton Steers a Bumpy Course," Steven A. HolmesThe New York Times, October 20, 1996
