Advantages and Controversy of US "Affirmative Action" Concerning African - Americans

Advantages and Controversy of US
Author: Katharina Fischer
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 57
Release: 2010-07
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3640658094

Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Applied Geography, grade: 1,0, University of Kassel (FB 05 - Geschichte Großbritanniens und Nordamerikas), course: Hauptseminar: Immigration and Ethnicity in American History, language: English, abstract: In this term paper the author discusses US race relations under the aspect of "affirmative action". Under the influence of the civil rights movement African-Americans and white liberals managed to achieve a breakthrough in civil rights legislation in the 1960s. This became the foundation of administrative measures that were intended to get minorities into business, civil service and colleges. These are called "affirmative action". The policy, designed to achieve equal opportunities for blacks, is itself ambiguous as the law prohibits discrimination ad preferential treatment of any US citizen. The author focuses on this dilemma. First she defines what affirmative action is, what its purpose is and to what extend it can lead to preferential treatment. Then a look is taken at the history of African-Americans since the end of slavery in the 19th century. This is inevitable to understand the intentions and goals of the civil rights activism of the 1950s and 1960s. Chapter four focuses on the pros and cons of affirmative action. One the one hand the author explores philosophical, legal and social arguments for the advancement of blacks. On the other hand she analyses legal criticism of affirmative action and the argument of "reverse discrimination". Finally, the author explains why the US still needs affirmative action and how it can be revised.

Understanding the Backlash Against Affirmative Action

Understanding the Backlash Against Affirmative Action
Author: John Fobanjong
Publisher: Nova Publishers
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2001
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781590330654

Affirmative action remains one of the most divisive issues in America, remaining unsolved since the 1960s civil rights legislation. Though many works have attempted to solve the dilemma, none have tried to identify the underlying causes of the backlash against the policy. In order to understand affirmative action's future, one must understand its evolution, its opposition, and its application both in America and in other nations. In a multi-disciplinary approach, this book examines affirmative action from comparative, historical, policy, and sociological perspectives. Also included is a list of Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action.

An Overview of Affirmative Action

An Overview of Affirmative Action
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism, and Property Rights
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 140
Release: 1996
Genre: Affirmative action programs
ISBN: 0788149563

Controversies in Affirmative Action

Controversies in Affirmative Action
Author: James A. Beckman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 1117
Release: 2014-07-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1440800839

An engaging and eclectic collection of essays from leading scholars on the subject, which looks at affirmative action past and present, analyzes its efficacy, its legacy, and its role in the future of the United States. This comprehensive, three-volume set explores the ways the United States has interpreted affirmative action and probes the effects of the policy from the perspectives of economics, law, philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, and race relations. Expert contributors tackle a host of knotty issues, ranging from the history of affirmative action to the theories underpinning it. They show how affirmative action has been implemented over the years, discuss its legality and constitutionality, and speculate about its future. Volume one traces the origin and evolution of affirmative action. Volume two discusses modern applications and debates, and volume three delves into such areas as international practices and critical race theory. Standalone essays link cause and effect and past and present as they tackle intriguing—and important—questions. When does "affirmative action" become "reverse discrimination"? How many decades are too many for a "temporary" policy to remain in existence? Does race- or gender-based affirmative action violate the equal protection of law guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment? In raising such issues, the work encourages readers to come to their own conclusions about the policy and its future application.

Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action
Author: M.J. Cosson
Publisher: ABDO
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2007-08-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1604538139

Discusses the controversial viewpoints regarding affirmative action.

Affirmative Action and the Stalled Quest for Black Progress

Affirmative Action and the Stalled Quest for Black Progress
Author: Willie Avon Drake
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 234
Release: 1996
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780252065392

Essential reading for anyone hoping to understand the national controversy about set-asides and other forms of affirmative action. "I strongly recommend this book to sociologists, political scientists, politicians, and business leaders as an analysis of race relations and economic development." -- Lewis M. Killian, author of Black and White: Reflections of a White Southern Sociologist This path-breaking study examines the accomplishments and limitations of the set-aside programs that have moved to the center of national political debate about affirmative action in the United States. Balanced yet candid, it focuses on the landmark case of Richmond v. Croson, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the city of Richmond's set-aside program, which required that thirty percent of the money in city construction contracts be awarded to minority firms. The authors describe the politics that gave rise to the set-aside program, investigate its actual operation, explore its effects, and detail responses to it in both black and white communities. They document that, while the program served important political purposes, it produced limited economic benefits for the broader African-American community, and conclude with an examination of the politics of development as an alternative to the set-aside framework that has been central to urban politics.

Affirmative Action and Racial Equity

Affirmative Action and Racial Equity
Author: Uma M. Jayakumar
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2015-03-12
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1317664655

The highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision in Fisher v. University of Texas placed a greater onus on higher education institutions to provide evidence supporting the need for affirmative action policies on their respective campuses. It is now more critical than ever that institutional leaders and scholars understand the evidence in support of race consideration in admissions as well as the challenges of the post-Fisher landscape. This important volume shares information documented for the Fisher case and provides empirical evidence to help inform scholarly conversation and institutions’ decisions regarding race-conscious practices in higher education. With contributions from scholars and experts involved in the Fisher case, this edited volume documents and shares lessons learned from the collaborative efforts of the social science, educational, and legal communities. Affirmative Action and Racial Equity is a critical resource for higher education scholars and administrators to understand the nuances of the affirmative action legal debate and to identify the challenges and potential strategies toward racial equity and inclusion moving forward.

Racism and Justice

Racism and Justice
Author: Gertrude Ezorsky
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2018-08-06
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1501724037

Affirmative action: does it really counteract racism? Is it morally justifiable? In her timely and tough-minded book, Gertrude Ezorsky addresses these central issues in the ongoing controversy surrounding affirmative action, and comes up with some convincing answers. Ezorsky begins by examining the effectiveness of affirmative action as a remedy for institutional racism in the workplace. She analyzes the ways in which common practices-selection of employees based on personal connections, qualification, and seniority standards-perpetuate the injurious effect of past racial discrimination, and she assesses the rationale for such affirmative action measures as objective job-related testing, numerical goals, and preferential treatment for basically qualified blacks. To illuminate the social reality in which affirmative action takes place, she draws on recent work by social scientists and legal scholars. Turning to the moral issues, Ezorsky posits two basic justifications for affirmative action: first, looking backward-to provide deserved compensation for past racial injustice that was sanctioned, practiced, and encouraged by our government; second, looking forward-to promote racial desegregation in the American workplace. Unlike some supporters of affirmative action, she does not deny that preferential treatment may place an unfair burden on white males. Indeed, she suggests specific practical measures for spreading that burden more equitably. Clear-headed, well-reasoned, and persuasive, this book will be read eagerly by everyone from students to legislators, by anyone concerned with racial justice in America.

Not All Black and White

Not All Black and White
Author: Christopher F. Edley
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 318
Release: 1998-03-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0374525412

Christopher Edley, who served as point man for President Clinton's review of affirmative action, offers a spirited, lively analysis of one of the most vexing and contented issues in politics today. As he did for the President, so here, in a cogent, persuasive book for general readers and serious voters, Edley considers all the relevant legal data, social-science evidence, public-policy developments, and private-sector practice, then makes his eloquent, powerful case.

Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action
Author: Alan Marzilli
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
Total Pages: 113
Release: 2009
Genre: Affirmative action programs
ISBN: 1438105886

Some advocates of affirmative action argue that the policy remains necessary in order to make the U.S. workforce more diverse.