Thursday, October 25, 2012

Affirmative action in higher education is still necessary to remedy a long and lasting history of segregation in American public schools


Affirmative action in higher education is still necessary to remedy a long and lasting history of segregation in American public schools.



Written by Kene Anusionwu
keneanusionwu.com-Kenmix23@gmail.com

When I arrived in America in 2005 I realized several  hidden problems that existed in this country, although as a child in England I had been taught that American’s pioneered a great civil rights movement to end segregation during thr 1960’s , all one had to do was enter the average public school in any major city in America and see that  segregation still exists within public schools across the nation, and the clear inequality in resources from predominantly white to predominantly minority  based schools is having an adverse long term effect on ethnic minority students within this country. Affirmative action admission plans in higher education is and has been a step towards mending these discrepancies that exist within public elementary and high schools across the nation.
Affirmative action when first administered by American Universities and Colleges  was considered a  way to help remedy the long and lasting history of discrimination against African Americans and ethnic minorities within higher education. The U.S Supreme court has held that it is constitutional for state or local governments to implement plans to remedy past discrimination.[1]The United States Supreme court in Regents of The University of California v. Bakke [2] for the first time addressed the issue of determining whether admissions based affirmative action plans in higher education were a constitutional means of admitting students when a school admits students based on race. Although the court did not uphold the Universities affirmative action admissions plan, the court mentioned the importance of diversity in higher education “The nation’s future depends upon leaders trained through wide exposure to that robust exchange of ideas which discovers truth out of a multitude of tongues, rather than through any kind of authoratuve selection. Id. . Grutter v. Bollinger[3] a recent U.S. Supreme court decision furthered the court’s reasoning in Bukke, however Grutter applied justice powell’s conccurance in Bakke and made it the law. Grutter held that diversity is a compelling state interest for Colleges and Universities  to implement Affirmative action plans and is narrowly tailored towards reaching such interests therefore passing strict scrutiny equal protection clause review.
Despite this country’s highest court affirming the need for affirmative action admission plans in higher education several state Colleges and Universities across America believe that such admission plans are no longer necessary,  because minorities presently have equal opportunity in  completing higher education, however statistics speak otherwise.  “Racial and ethnic minorities are approximately 33 percent of the U.S. population, but represent only 10 percent of the U.S. lawyer population , less than ten present of the judges , and approximately 6 percent of law firm partners.”[4]  “The number of African American males entering the legal profession remains stagnant with only marginal increases during the past fifteen years.”.[5] Recent social science studies show the benefits of diversity in higher education, students who arrive at college with little or no previous interracial contact can see physiological benefits of interracial interactions within the first few weeks of being on campus.[6] In 2012 researchers from Columbia, Stanford, and Tuffs Universities released a study that examined over forty years’ worth of research on interracial interactions compiling data from 81 different studies. [7] This study showed that interracial group contact reduces prejudice and improves attitudes towards each other , these interactions help reduce bias , anxiety and reduces the possibility of  negative emotional responses  Id. Studies have also shown that the random assigning of interracial roommates in first year dorm’s reduces prejudice and increases ethnic heterogeneity of students and within such students friendship circles. Id at6
Affirmative action admission based plans not only benefit ethnic minority groups, they also help to educate others who ordinarily would never encompass other cultures or even share space with other racial groups. Diverse class rooms add a certain benefit to the environment of  Colleges and Universities and prepare students for the realities of this country which is gradually becoming more and more diverse every day. In all aspects of life an individual within this country will have to encounter a situation where they will be confronted with individuals from different cultures and backgrounds, through a diverse education ignorance and hostility can be avoided and a true respect for others may slowly but surely be installed within all educated Americans. Racism generally does not come from a hatred towards a specific group, racism usually manifests from a misunderstanding of others and a generational implementation of ethnocentric beliefs where one has never been exposed to the cultures of ethnic groups which they have been taught to hate.  Affirmative Action admission based plans are extremely important for all ethnic minority students within this country, and without these admission plans ethnic minority students will be significantly underrepresented in higher education.




[1] Richmond v. Croson, 488  U..S. 469 (1989).
[2] Regents of The University of California v. Bakke , 438, U.S. 265 (1978).
[3] Grutter v. Bollinger 539, U.S. 306, (2003).
[4] Anthony Jenkins, Diversity matters here and now, 90 JAN Mich, B.J. 14 (2011).
[5] Floyd Weatherspoon, The status of African American males in the legal profession a pipeline of institutional roadblocks and barriers, 80 Miss, L.J. 259 (2010).
[6] Brief of social and organizational phycologists as amici curiae supporting  Respondents. Fisher v. University of Taxas at Austin. Catolougue, inc 12 U.S. (2012) (No. 11-345), WL. 3308289.
[7] Negin R. Toosi Nalini Ambady, Laura G Babbitt & Samuel R. Sommers, Dyadic interracial interactions A meta Anlysis, 138 Psychol Bull 1. 6-7 (2012).

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