Racial Discrimination Modern Myth or Discrimination a

Racial Discrimination Modern myth or discrimination A number of cases can be evidenced where people of color, working class women, white women as well as men of all races who were facing exclusion (segregated) from educational opportunities or jobs, or were barred from accessing further opportunities after they were admitted, have managed to overturn this and got the access through affirmative action. This became a reality after these policies got executive and judicial support that opened the way that otherwise could have never been achieved.

Because of these gains, real changes can now be seen. The ongoing debate on affirmative action tends to be more than legal issues. Finding ways of ending racism will always be a responsibility and a challenge to every individual within a society, not leaving out the organizations and institutions which have got greater impact to our lives. Nevertheless, there still exists vocal minority that is for the idea that affirmative action should be stopped not as just a legal remedy but as a social commitment as well.

As we now see the social changes that affirmative action has brought, there is a group that says that the society has gone too far in correcting racial injustice. They do not realize that they fail to challenge the traditional forms of preference and discrimination that will always favor the educated, the rich, white people and men. Our society is involved in affirmative action in various aspects on top of leveling the playing field for people of color.

This is on the background of hiring and recruiting preferences for veterans, women as well as children from particular quarters is still experienced, (Vernellia R. Randall, 1997). A special economic incentive for purchase of U.S. made products, import quotas against foreign goods, as well as agricultural and textile subsidiaries are on practice. For a long time such overrepresentation of white people, middle class in the well paid jobs, in the professions, and universities have been evidenced. The establishment of affirmative action was based on the objective of stopping racial discrimination.

Through Federal Government, it was mandated with the intention of redressing racial inequality and injustice in a series of steps starting with executive order that was issued in 1961 by President Kennedy. The 1964, Rights Act made discrimination to be illegal and brought equal employment opportunities for every American without considering the cultural background, race, religion or color.

Through executive order 11246, President Johnson mandated affirmative action goals for each and every federally funded program and established monitoring as well as enforcement of affirmative action programs out of the White House as well as into the Labor Department. All these came about because of the response to the huge mobilization of African-Americans in addition to white supporters that pushed for integration and racial justice during 1950s and early 1960s.

The objective of the affirmative action policy at first was to correct institutional discrimination where policies, decisions and procedures that seemed to be of discriminatory and had negative impact towards people of color were to be addressed. Policies of affirmative action have helped to address and redress systematic political and economic discrimination against any group of people that have been undergoing discrimination or are underrepresented within a given institution.

Those who have been benefiting and are still yet to achieve its benefits totally out of these programs are poor and working class people, black men and women, people with disabilities. The basic emphasis here has been to address the issue of racial discrimination, which has not been achieved to the level that open up all opportunities to all people regardless of the color, background, social status in the community. The role of affirmative action has strongly been felt in mitigating the historical effects of institutional racism.

Another role of it is on countering the effects of current discrimination, whether intentional or not. We cannot assume that the entire white have good intentions. A section believe that every person is entitle to equal chance, however they still hold deep-seated prejudices against people of color, (Claude M. Steele, 1992). There are existing evidences showing the still ongoing practices of discrimination within the organizations and in people yet they are professing agreement with equal opportunity.

Various subtle and not-so-subtle ways of eliminating people of color from the job application process exists and it is not of surprise that employers have maneuvered ways around affirmative action not unless it has been tied to visible hiring as well as promotion targets. Within a society that evidences this overwhelming racism, there is more likelihood that organizations and individuals will try to resist the existing efforts of ending it.

It is of importance to set goals and enforce and monitor standards since these forms the best way of measuring compliance, (Kristin Jenkins, 2007). The same mechanism will be of great help in making sure that affirmative action becomes more than a facade. Such mechanisms are not quotas. In the past, quotas have been used in excluding a given group of people from educational or job opportunities, (Sylvia Hurtado, 1992). There is need for numerical goals that is to guarantee compliance with the policies of affirmative action.

Out of numerical goals democratic access to jobs, education, and job training will be promoted. A section of people claim that affirmative action programs tend to lower self-esteem on the part of those who are favored by it; however no systematic evidence exists related to this. What is related to this is having inadequate access to good education, good jobs as well as housing, which leads to poor self-esteem.

Therefore those who are truly worried over self-esteem should be the strong advocators of effective affirmative action programs in order to counter discrimination. Programs of affirmative action are still of help to various areas of public life for they are still opening wider the opportunities that otherwise could have not been gotten by other people.

The continued attack towards affirmative action tend to be part of the systematic attempt that aims to roll back the progress that is to end discrimination as well as to curtail a broader social commitment to equality and justice, (Paul Kivel, 2011). The effect of attacking affirmative action is a self-destruction to many except the rich.

Though it is not a total cure, for it will not completely eliminate racial discrimination, as well as competition for the scarce resources, they will ensure that each and everyone is able to get a chance to what will be available. The lingering question should be the reason as to why there is still not enough safer, decent paying jobs for all regardless of the social position or race. Therefore attempts to expand opportunities for the victims of discrimination means they are.