A DISCRIMINATIVE AND INEQUITABLE POLCY

Historically, there have been arguments about what Affirmative Action (AA) really is. The basis of the argument for the most part, debates the goal(s) of AA. Is the goal of AA to erase past inequities for the disabled, minorities and/or women without protest? Or is Affirmative Action a culture or spirit that rewards diversity and differences? Basically there are two definitions or schools of thought for AA.

The first school of thought is that AA is an umbrella term for laws and policies that the United States Executive, Judicial, and legislative bodies have mandated. Specifically, AA is a series of social policies and statutes that regulate activities and laws with the primary intent to achieve equity and increase opportunity for all.

The second school of though is that AA is an umbrella term defining a broader set of activities whereby public and private institutions voluntarily incorporate practices and polices to increase diversity, opportunity and equity. Under this school of thought, AA is in spirit and an institutional policy.

The intent of this paper is to address the s

While the Kennedy administration began AA, it was the Johnson administration that really added the provisions that would truly allow for effective implementation of AA. Under the Johnson administration, the US Government enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1064. This act was and still is considered landmark legislation, as it prohibited employment discrimination by large employers (a large employer is defined as an employer with 15 or more employees). The key was that the act governed all employers, not just government contractors like the Kennedy EO. The Civil Rights Act established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). As a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act, Johnson issued EO 11246, which required expansion of job opportunities for minorities in government contracting firms. This order also established the Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCC) a division of the Department of labor, which was chartered to administer the order. Finally in 1967, Johnson amended the order to include women.

A. A Brief History of AA in the United States of American

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order (EO) 10925. This EO was significant, as it introduced the term "Affirmative Action" to America. The order instructed federal government contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are treated equally without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin" (Kennedy, EO 10925, 1961). The Kennedy EO also created the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity.

Soon after the execution of the 13th Amendment, the governing forefathers once again determined and agreed that it was necessary to clarify citizen's rights. Directly resultant, the 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th Amendments were executed. All of these amendments were necessary modifications to the highest law of the land to establish justice and equity for all Americans.

AA laws and policies such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, opened doors that were locked for African Americans. The "Quota" system, while controversial, insisted that corporations have a certain percentage of minorities in management level positions. In addition, AA laws allowed for minority student's admission in schools that would not have been accessible otherwise. and

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Approximate Word count = 1679
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)