Patriot Act

According to the Webster's Dictionary, an Affirmative Action is a policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment. It is also a program includes procedures designed to increase the numbers of minorities, women and handicapped at all levels and in all segments of the workforce such as employment opportunities, hiring and higher education where an imbalances exist. Such a program should include an assessment of the existing situation, and the development of realistic goals for necessary action. These goals and related procedures and timetables should not require rigid quotas, but are commitments which an employer should make every good faith effort to achieve.

For many years minorities were discriminated against in the job market. People in our country felt something must be done to fix this problem in our society. That solution was Affirmative Action. The history of Affirmative Action is a long and interesting one." I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: " We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King stated this in his famous "I have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C. in 1963. Is Affirmative Action still necessary in America? Affirmative Action is still necessary because America does not have enough equality and diversity in our workforce and universities.

First, focusing in particular on job, affirmative action policies required that active measures be taken to ensure that black and other minorities enjoy the same opportunities for promotions, salary increases, career advancement that had been the nearly exclusive province of whites. Affirmative Action is still necessary because of a lack of equality. White males typically earn significantly more than women and minorities. According to the National Committee on Pay Equity women, overall, make 71 cents as compared to a man's dollar. While minority men make more than non-minority and minority women, non-minority males own about $ 9,000 more than minority men, $ 14,000 more than non-minority women and $ 17,000 more than minority women in white collar occupations, according to the Federal Civilian Workforce. Without the aid of Affirmative Action, women and minorities will continue to fall behind in the workforce. Affirmative Action is still necessary in order to insure equality among white men, women, and minorities. By using Affirmative Action, that is race-neutral and gender-neutral assurance against discrimination, we can live up to our country's statement that "all men are created equal." and have diversity through out America.

Second, Affirmative Action is needed to create diversity in America. In its tumultuous 40-year history, Affirmative action has been both praised and pilloried as an answer to racial inequality. The policy was introduced in 1965 by President Johnson as a method of redressing discrimination that had persisted in spite of civil right laws and constitutional guarantees. "This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights," Johnson asserted. "We seek... not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result."