Should Affirmative Action Be Dismantled?
In 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Executive Order 1124 requiring employers to actively seek the inclusion of qualified minorities among their pool of applicants when hiring ("Affirmative Action" 18). This act signaled the birth of affirmative action. Broadly defined,
affirmative action refers to the efforts to increase educational and employment opportunities for minorities. More specifically, it applies to various policies and programs designed to increase the number of minorities admitted into colleges and universities ("Affirmative Action" 16). The origin of affirmative action programs was dependent on one's race but subsequently extended to sex, national origin, and religion ("Affirmative Action" 122). However, with this context the focal points will be how affirmative action affect African Americans, how it bolstered the equal
opportunities for an ethnic group that has been historically discriminated against, and the the conventional efforts of affirmative action to increase the educational employment opportunities for African Americans.
…
