The quest for gender, ethnic and religious equality in a culturally diverse America has led to an enormous surge of progress for minorities in academic and work environments, forever shaping our nation as a herald for civil humanitarianism worldwide.
With the help of national organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), we aspire to believe we have reached the utopian day foretold by Martin Luther King Jr., when persons “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
But has this day of cultural universalism arrived, or has affirmative action given birth to a new breed of racial discrimination?
The affirmative action movement has led to three distinct philosophies.
First, we have the “classic” Martin Luther King Jr. accord, which proposed that a minority student or worker of superior merit should receive placement over a non-minority candidate of lesser merit. It is my humble belief that this day has come for most of America.
Secondly, we have the “uneven playing field” school of thought, in which an individual of minority descent should receive placement over a non-minority of superior merit. One proponents of this philosophy, Robert Pollack of Columbia University, argues “affirmative action [means] that [college recruiters] have to find excellent students against an economic gradient that makes it difficult to show their excellence,” and serves as a “lesser evil” in order to award disadvantaged minorities a chance at the “American dream.”
A recent data compilation of Duke University admission statistics, categorized by race, reveals a significant gap in admission requirements. The data, collected by Duke scholars for a research study, indicates that the school, on average, admitted Latino and African-American students with a 130 point lower SAT score and .43 point lower high school GPA than students of Caucasian or Asian ethnicity.
Recall that federal law prohibits federally funded private and public universities, such as Duke, from using racial quotas in admissions policies.
Legality aside, recent trends show minorities making gradual economic progress on a national level, and the question must now be raised as to whether or not such methodology is still necessary.
The last school of thought on affirmative action seeks to solve this discrepancy through strict adherence of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, ensuring that individuals are accepted and rejected based on merit alone.
Many academic institutions, such as the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, go to extraordinary lengths to ensure no ethnic, religious or sexual prejudice is used when placing its candidates.
The Opera has begun “behind the screen” auditions, placing a removable wall between the musician auditioning and the listeners so that only his or her music will be judged. Female candidates are additionally instructed to not wear high heels, as the sound may give indication of their gender.
In light of this method, orchestras continue to see growth in their minority populations, relying instead on outreach and scholarship programs to draw minority interest in the institutions.
If we are to seek equality among races, genders and religions, we must first eliminate prejudice in all its forms.
While economic inequality is still a reality today, I can only dream of a day when all ethnicities are equally represented under identical measures of qualification.
Change takes time, but we’re getting closer to the dream every day.
Reach Hal at hscohen@asu.edu.
