The Importance of Affirmative Action in America Essay example -- Argum

The Importance of Affirmative Action in America Affirmative action is a much debated topic based on the efforts of our government to overcome prejudicial treatment through inclusion. Affirmative action is a way of helping minorities in our country get jobs and avoid racial injustice. Many large companies have increased their employment of minorities after adopting these policies (Plous). Despite the efforts of affirmative action today, women still only earn 76 cents for every dollar earned by males. There are 1.3 million unemployed African-American civilians and 112 million employed white civilians. Statistics show that "if every unemployed Black worker in the United States were to displace a White worker, only 1% of Whites would be affected" (Plous). There is a group of people called the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action and Integration and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) who are constantly fighting hard to defend their position. They feel that we are struggling to determine whether our nation will move forward toward integration and equality or backward toward injustice. This group of people is very determined to keeping affirmative action in our government system today and state the fact that we are all brothers and sisters, skin color and religion don't matter ("To stop...). Opposing views of this topic are quite common everywhere in the U.S. The University of Michigan has made the issues of race and affirmative action policies into very important and controversial discussions. One article, titled "Unite Against Affirmative Action", states: "Unfortunately, between the ill-considered rantings of State Representative David Jaye and the hysterical tirades of the aptly named Coalition to Defend ... ...ve a substantial number of minorities attending the school, all with grades within the same range as the rest of the student population. Now, not all minorities in that range are admitted, only some ("How Affirmative...). According to the Racial Privacy Initiative, "The state shall not classify by race, ethnicity, color or national origin in the operation of public education, public contracting or public employment." This statement basically says not to refuse someone based on their race ("Racial...). Then why is affirmative action even allowed? Why do we, as Americans, need affirmative action to be used? Because it makes sure that the minority population is not refused their right to an education or a job. Because there are racists out there, ones who might need this policy to tell them that what they have been taught to believe is indeed unfair and unlawful.