The Cons and Pros of Affirmative Action

Affirmative action can be easily defined as “an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women”. During the last decade, affirmative action has been one of the most intensely debated issues in national politics. Some define affirmative action as the ability to strive for equality and inclusiveness. Others might see it as a quota-based system for different minority groups. Is affirmative action fair? Are minority groups on equal footing? Is gaining employment for minorities difficult? Is education easily obtained for the minority groups of people? These are some of the important questions surrounding this issue. To better understand the controversy and debate surrounding affirmative action, it is necessary to see how affirmative action came about, its initial intent and what it has become in its 30 year history.

Affirmative action programs have spanned seven different presidential admistrations – four Republican and three Democratic. In 1961, in Executive Order No. 10925, John F. Kennedy introduced the phrase “affirmative action” and established the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EOEC). JFK’s Executive Order No. 10925 used affirmative action for the first time by instructing federal contractors to take "affirmative action to ensure that applicants are treated equally without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin." JFK favored a weak form of affirmative action that involved eliminating discrimination and expanding educational and employment opportunities.