Is Affirmative Action Worthwhile?

Has the time come to end affirmative action? Or are programs that give special considerations to minorities still necessary to ensure equality? Two recent actions appear to show the country’s divided opinion on the issue. Within one week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to California’s Proposition 209--much to the dismay of those who favor keeping programs that give preferences to minorities and women. And then in Houston, voters opted to retain the city’s affirmative action programs. The court’s decision is being celebrated by those in favor of a colorblind system for public education and government employment. However, opponents of Proposition 209 predict the measure will have a devastating effect on minorities.

ANNA MARIE STOLLEY talked to people whose lives have been directly affected by affirmative action programs.

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YES:

GILBERT SANCHEZ

34, director, Gang Violence Bridging Project, Cal State L.A.

Were it not for affirmative action, I would probably be on the streets. When I was younger, I dropped out of high school and was involved in gangs. When a friend of mine was stabbed to death, I thought, is this how I’m going to end up? I was 19 years old, and many of my friends were already in jail or dead. I felt like I had no options.

I learned about programs to help minorities get into college and stay there. Even though I had not finished high school, I was able to get into community college. I got some financial aid, mentoring and special tutoring. I had to work full-time, so it took me years to finish. I ended up with a low grade point average.

Again, special programs for minorities helped me get into a four-year school, Cal State L.A. I graduated in 1993 with a degree in anthropology and now I’m helping enroll at-risk youth in school. I want to see them graduate. I want to see them have the same opportunities I had.

If the world were perfect, everyone could get a quality elementary and high school education and we wouldn’t need special programs to boost minorities. But the reality is that there are still many inequalities in this country. If minorities get special programs to get into college or preferential treatment for jobs, it is necessary to level the playing field and make a society where all people can be productive. It we lose all our programs, we will have minorities with no place to turn to better themselves.

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NO:

LEON WASZAK

42, history professor, Glendale Community College

It’s time to scrap affirmative action. It is inherently unfair and un-American. The whole concept of American justice is to treat people as individuals, without regard to race. These days, white males are being discriminated against. What was called “racism” in the past is now called “equal opportunity.”

I was cheated out of a job because of affirmative action. I have a PhD in European history and had been teaching Western civilization and American history for three years at Pasadena City College. A tenure-track position opened up in 1990 and I applied for it, along with at least five others.

They gave the position to an Asian American man who had just started teaching. In fact, he had just received his master’s degree.

I filed a complaint with the school saying that they had not taken merit into consideration, that the hiring had been done strictly on the basis of affirmative action. When the school failed to respond, I filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. My case went to trial in 1994. While the jury found 11-1 that the school violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it did not award me damages. The jury couldn’t decide whether I would have been the one to get the job if they hadn’t hired the Asian American man.

You work hard to earn your degree, you get good reviews from the students, you pay your dues to make your reputation as a good teacher, and after all that, you’re simply discarded because you are not a minority. Meanwhile, certain people get benefits they don’t deserve and expect things to be given to them without working for them. It’s time to take the training wheels off.