FREE ESSAY ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN EDUCATION

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN EDUCATION

The policy of affirmative action in education will no longer be needed in the near future.
In the past, however, legislators determined that in order to prevent racial
discrimination affirmative action would be needed. Recent demographic studies indicate
that the Caucasian race will steadily decrease as the present populations of minorities
increase. Factors such as fewer white births, an influx of immigrants, and an increase in
interracial marriage will play a major role in contributing to this change. 
Affirmative action programs are operated by the federal, state, and local governments
specifically intended to increase the number of opportunities for various groups,
including women, racial, and ethnic minorities. (Http://www.vote96.ss.ca.gov) For
example, affirmative action promotes the hiring of less skilled workers, giving the
employer no choice other than to choose the best of the minority workers they can find,
regardless of job skill requirements. (Http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/feed1.html.)
According to Ernest Pasour, the phrase affirmative action was first used in a racial
discrimination context, which was issued by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.
(Http://www.self-gov.org/freeman/8901paso.htm) He said, It indicated that federal
contractors should take affirmative action to ensure that applicants and employees are
treated without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.
(Http://www.self-gov.org/freeman/8901paso.htm) 
The growing United States population of minorities in the 21st century will 
eventually surpass the population of the Caucasian race for the first time in 
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history, a change that will become evident in politics, education, industry, values, and
culture, according to William A. Henry III (Beyond the Melting Pot 28). One authority
says as of now one in every four Americans defines himself/herself as either non-white or
Hispanic (Beyond the Melting Pot 28). According to Michael Lind, California, Texas, New
York, and eventually the whole country will soon acquire or have already acquired
non-white majorities (The End of the Rainbow 39). A typical U.S. citizen as defined by
the United States Census Bureau is someone who traces his or her descent in a direct line
to Europe (Beyond the Melting Pot 28). Henry says, if the current trends in immigration
and birth rates persist, the Hispanic population will have further increased an estimated
twenty-one percent, the Asian presence about twenty-two percent, African-Americans twelve
percent, and Caucasians a little more than two percent, when the 20th century ends
(Beyond the Melting Pot 28). 
Immigration, intermarriage, decrease in white births, and interracial births are all
factors causing the Caucasian race to become a minority. Authorities have reported that
from the mid-1985 to 1990, eleven million new jobs opened up while the total working
population grew by only five million (The Case For Immigrants F6). As we progress into
the next millennium their will most probably be an increase in demand for skilled and
professional workers, and it will become harder and harder for employers to fill
positions. The United States in turn may have to look abroad for these qualified
professionals whom may have Asian, African, or 
Latin American backgrounds. As these professionals are hired they will
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immigrate to the United States along with their families, in turn contributing to the
increasing population of minorities in the United States (The Case For Immigrants F6).
As the minority races increase and white race decreases, intermarriage will most likely
become more common and evident in the United States. According to the Sacramento Bee,
data from California, shows that somewhere between a quarter and a third of all Hispanics
marry Anglos (The Case For Immigrants F6). Anglos are non-Latin Caucasian inhabitants of
the United States, as defined by the Webster's New Ideal Dictionary. 
While intermarriage rises in the United States their will be lesser and lesser pure
Caucasian births, resulting in an increase in multiracial children. All of these factors
will eventually cause the Caucasian race to become a minority race in the United States.
The Proposition 209 of California began in 1996, it set out to eliminate all equal
opportunity efforts such as affirmative action, outreach, recruitment, mentoring, and
tutoring programs in public employment, education, and contracting.
(Http://www.ajdj.com/noccri/defeat.html) It abolished all public counseling and
recruitment programs designed to help minority youth apply for college, and eliminated
public programs directed at females, including The Girls Science Network, program which
is designed to encourage females to pursue math and science courses and careers.
(Http://www.ajdj.com/noccri/defeat.html) 
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In addition to these it also eliminated women's center's on college campuses, outreach
and mentoring programs for minority students, magnet schools designed to desegregate
school districts, and efforts to recruit women in non-traditional jobs like policing and
skilled trade. (Http://www.ajdj.com/noccri/defeat.html) 
Since Proposition 209 of California has been put into affect, there have been arguments
in favor and against it. Some people who are favoring Proposition 209 of California feel
that the affirmative action programs are dividing the people and tearing us apart as a
country. Some even feel that the passing of Proposition 209 of California will stop the
government from discrimin-
ating against the qualified individuals who don't get the job because of an affirmative
action case. (Http://vote.96.ss.ca.gov/Vote96/html/BP/209yesarg.htm) Though there are
quite a few people who favor Proposition 209 of California, their is also another side,
those who oppose it. Many feel that the Proposition 209 of California is unfair. They
feel that it's harming the equal opportunity for women and minorities.
(Http://vote96.ss.ca.gov/Vote96/html/BP/209noarg.htm) They believe that affirmative
action is fair. They feel it is a way of making sure that those who were previously
excluded are brought into the workplace. Without affirmative action programs, employers
with a history of discriminatory practices would continue with usual business, but with
affirmative action the employers would have to make efforts to recruit and hire qualified
women and minorities for available from which they were previously excluded. 
(Http://www.aclu.org/library/pbp17.html) Another argument raised against
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affirmative action is that individual Caucasian people, often Caucasian males,
have to pay for past discrimination and may not get the jobs or admissions they
deserve. (Black, White, and Shades of Gray {and Brown and Yellow} 15) 
William Henry predicts that by the year 2020 the number of United States residents who
are Hispanic or non-white will have more than doubled, to nearly 115 million, while the
Caucasian population will no longer be increasing. By the year 2056, the average United
States resident, as defined by census statistics, will trace his or her descent to
Africa, Asia, a Hispanic area, the Pacific Islands, Arabia, almost anywhere but white
Europe. (Beyond the Melting Pot 28) 
According to William Henry III, The former majority will learn, as a normal part of
everyday life, the meaning of the Latin slogan on the United States coins------E Pluribus
Unum, one formed from many. For these reasons the policy of affirmative action in
education will no longer be needed in the near future for the minorities of today, but
will it be needed for the new Caucasian minorities-to-be?