Affirmative Action Necessary or Unnecessary Essay

Affirmative Action was centered around 1961 because women and minorities were being discriminated against. By definition, affirmative action is â€Å"the encouragement of increased representation of women and minority-group members, especially in employment† (Dictionary.com). The main controversy of affirmative action is whether or not it is still necessary, and if it should be abolished all together. It was originally intended to benefit cultural groups that were thought to suffer from discrimination in the past, however, now some people believe that those cultural groups are already being represented to the fullest extent, and that affirmative action is no longer necessary. On the other hand, other people believe that affirmative action†¦show more content†¦However, what they want people to know is that African Americans are helped by fourteen percent due to affirmative action (Figure 1). People are split over whether affirmative action reduces the effects of the past discrimination, or if it does not do anything at all, and just aggravates people; Americans are bringing up new aspects of the effects of affirmative action. Affirmative action may not have helped African Americans quite as much as women. â€Å"Blacks continue to have twice the unemployment rate of whites† (Pritchett), and â€Å"only thirty-five percent of all African Americans high school graduates attend college versus the fifty percent of white students† (Pritchett). Others believe this means affirmative action is not helping the African Americans, and is still causing discrimination. â€Å"During the time of slavery, African Americans were not given an equal opportunity to establish jobs or a good education, setting them back in the modern market† (SocialistWorker.org). Another common concern with lots of controversy is the effects of affirmative action on reverse racism. Caucasian students have been complaining for years because they believe th ey were cheated out of a fair chance to have aShow MoreRelatedAda and Affirmative Action Essay1000 Words   |  4 PagesADA and Affirmative Action The United States of America is a culturally diverse place. There are people from all over the world living in here. There are people from different cultures, people with different religious and moral standards and beliefs, and people from different races and of different ethnicities. There are also people living amongst us that face special circumstances such as being physically or mentally disabled, challenged by a chronic illness or even sexual orientation. 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