The Precedency Supporting the Affrimative Action Essay

Affirmative action is a government policy that gives opportunities to minorities, women, and any group who has been the victim of discrimination in the past. Affirmative action is the outcome of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement, growing out of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or gender. It was the 1978 Supreme Court decision, The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, which allowed for the use of race-based preferences as a means of fostering diversity, allowing affirmative action to be used in admissions policies. It was created with the intention to provide equal opportunities for members of minority groups in education and employment. Initially, affirmative action focused†¦show more content†¦Supporters of affirmative action make many arguments in support of affirmative action, in the hopes of getting others to see the genuine good that affirmative actin policies bring to our society. Supporters belie ve that affirmative action is more of a process rather than an admissions policy. Colleges and universities take the extra initiative to reach out to minority groups, encouraging them to apply. Colleges and universities offer additional financial aid and provide on-campus resources to help better the student’s college education. Supporters also note the rising number of minority applications to colleges and universities due in part to affirmative action policies. Statistics have proven that when affirmative action is eliminated, such as when it was at Berkley College and UCLA in 1998, the minority student admissions fell 61 percent and 36 percent respectively, proving that affirmative action plays a major role in a minority students college admissions process. Affirmative action supporters also believe that diversity in higher education provides a better educational atmosphere for all students, personally and intellectually. If affirmative action were to be eliminated, there would be fewer minority students enrolled in colleges, causing diversity to be fairly slim. Affirmative action policies are also necessary in order to compensate for centuries of racial, economic, and social oppression. Individuals with a