Affirmative Action

Racial Discrimination or Needed Remedy?

Affirmative Action is a moral and political question which seems to divide Americans more than it unites them. On the one side are those who regard it as a type of program designed to rectify racism and reverse the effects of both past and present discrimination; on the other side are those who simply see it as another form of discrimination, giving one group extra advantages based upon nothing but their skin color.

Perhaps the most contentious arena of debate over affirmative action lies in the field of education and admission to colleges. This is where affirmative action tends to be defended and attacked most fiercely because it is here that people get an important start on their lives and careers. It is also an either/or situation because either you are admitted to a college or you are not - and if you feel that you have been discriminated against when you are denied admission, you aren't likely to be happy about it.