Affirmative action is a growing argument among our society. It is multifaceted and often defined vaguely. "Some can define it as the ability to strive for equality and diversity, while others might see it as a quota-based system for different minority groups. Is it a helping hand to equalize opportunity or is it reverse discrimination?" (Education Central).

When affirmative action was first presented to the Supreme Court, it was introduced in the case of The University of California v. Blakke (1978). "In this case, the medical school of

Of course, it is not fair for an individual to be penalized because of his or her race, and on the same line, it is not fair for a particular race to be preferred because of past discrimination, but affirmative action does not assume this as some critics may think. "It has a forwarding look, not a backward looking justification. The policy promises a better educational environment and a less racially stratified society for everyone. It recognizes that prejudice has poisoned society for all of us, and that fostering opportunities for different races to study and work together is a part of an effective, even if slow working, antidote" (Dworkin). This is even shown going back into high school years. Some children went to mostly white schools because that was the school in their section of town, which was mostly all the same race. Kids grow and mature going to school, and if we send our children to segregated schools, they will grow up and go out into the real world with a very narrow prejudiced mind. This shows the significance of affirmative action and how it can even play an important role in the early childhood years of education.

Affirmative action programs remain vital safeguards for protecting equal opportunity and are our nation's best tools for removing the roadblocks of race and gender discrimination. "Critics of affirmative action are not proposing anything that, by distributing society's benefits and opportunities more broadly, might eventually move the nation closer to the meritocracy they profess to desire. Instead of solutions, they are offering merely a scapegoat: this awful thing called affirmative action" (Cose). Why side with those who only criticize the idea and who cannot come up with a solution to better our society and our educational opportunities? "Even if the movement to ban affirmative action succeeds, there is every reason to believe we will again find ourselves pondering how to deal with the same difficult questions of racial estrangement and inequity that spawned affirmative action in the first place" (Cose).

Supporters of the idea of affirmative action point to past discrimination and argue that we must find a way to compensate for the years of disadvantage. They believe that preferential admissions are needed to overcome the effects of past discrimination and they say that studies have proven so. "Statistical studies show that the policy has improved racial diversity not only in the classroom but later in life, in business and the professions, as well, and contributed to improved understanding among races" (Dworkin). For many decades colleges have sought to admit students from different geographical areas, cultures and social backgrounds because academic discussion is most profitable and has the most lasting social benefits when it draws on different experiences and perspectives. Universities have a responsibility to choose students who will "cont

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Approximate Word count = 1956
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)