Differing Views on Affirmative Action. Affirmative Action has always been a controversial policy. Many white persons disapprove of it and view it as reverse discrimination. Those who feel that way resent it. They often direct their discontent toward those in power, such as those in public office, who support it. What is less well known, and perhaps may be surprising, is how many minorities disapprove of it. See for example the 2023 results of a Pew Research Center report on affirmative action on college admissions.
Federal Court Rulings. Recent federal court rulings have challenged and declared unconstitutional the presumption that all minorities are disadvantaged. For details on the court cases, click here
Federal Affirmative Action Programs. Race is used by MBDA and other federal agencies as a proxy for being socially and economically disadvantaged. So do many organizations in the private sector. The average minority is poorer than the average white person, but government programs, like those at MBDA, deal with individuals who may or may not be financially above or below the average – that is the nature of computing averages. There are five racial categories used by the government: Black, Hispanic, White, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American/Alaskan Native. All persons except those categorized as White would be considered eligible for inclusion in existing racially based affirmative action programs. Are all persons in those groups socially or economically disadvantaged? It is hard to answer yes, since the Asian American category, which includes those from India, has the highest income level of any racial group, including White Americans.
Blacks and Slavery. Slavery as well as Jim Crow laws were terrible and inflicted serious harm on the slaves and certainly disadvantaged their children. However, not every black person living in today’s USA is a descendent of a slave or of someone who lived under Jim Crow laws. According to the Pew Research Center, about one in five blacks are first or second generation immigrants. Some are from countries like Nigeria and Ghana, where English is the official language. Many are highly educated and are doing quite well in this country.
Is every black person living in the USA today, even if not a recent immigrant, socially and economically disadvantaged? Many certainly are but, just as certainly, not all. There are many black Americans who are wealthy. Some are very wealthy and more than a few are in positions of power and influence – mayors of large cities, Congresspersons, Cabinet officials, government department heads, Supreme Court justices, sports icons, TV personalities, etc. As Black Americans, they and their children, automatically qualify for government assistance under the current Affirmative Action programs.
Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics, can trace his ancestry back to a slave at Jeffersons’s Monticello. He does not consider himself to be socially or economically disadvantaged. In fact, he would resent the assumption that, just because he is a black man, he is presumed to be disadvantaged and in need of help. He rejects such stereotyping. He is not alone in that regard. While most blacks support affirmative action, some 21% of blacks do not.
Even more importantly, Coleman Hughes argues that the current race based affirmative action programs do not help those that really are disadvantaged. In most cases, he contends, it is helping those who do not need assistance. He states in his book: “Fifty years into Affirmative Action, the percentage of students from low-income backgrounds attending Ivy Legue schools remain in the low single digits.” He cites, for example, Harvard University. Harvard is pleased to report that 14% of the students are black. However, the great majority come from backgrounds that are not disadvantaged, with a high percentage not even descended from slaves but from post-1965 African or Caribbean immigrants.
Affirmative action policies do not necessarily help economically disadvantaged students, but benefit middle- and upper-class minorities. Class issues from affirmative action also suggest that special treatment can serves to amplify racial prejudice.
Along with differing views on affirmative action, there are different views on colorblindness.
Colorblindness. Coleman Hughes believes that colorblindness, as he defines it, was the bedrock principle of the Abolition and Civil Rights movement. He defines the principle of colorblindness as one in which you treat people without regard to race both in your private life and in our public policy. He cites numerous writings of various leaders to support his view. Others, including New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie and Pulitzer Prize Winner and editor of the 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones, disagree. Both Hannah-Jones and Mr. Hughes agree that the colorblindness principle has been distorted over time but strongly disagree about its original meaning. Miss Hannah-Jones states that the term was used by civil rights leaders who supported race conscious policies such as affirmative action while Mr. Hughes asserts that it is a distortion to claim that the leaders were advocating for racial preferences. Mr. Hughes also states that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits racial preferences, specifically referencing hiring.