Affirmative Action Will Build a Strong Nation Essay -- affirmative act

Affirmative Action Will Build a Strong Nation Affirmative Action: often upon hearing this word, one will start thinking about quotas and reverse discrimination. However, contrary to this misconception, affirmative action is actually a policy that dictates that employers attempt to find diverse employees by exploring untraditional sources of labor. The goal of affirmative action is to create a work force that mirrors the population of the nation both in gender and in ethnicity (Hanmer 8,10). Affirmative action is necessary to give all Americans an opportunity to be successful and to counteract the discrimination that still exists in modern society. Affirmative action is not only morally justifiable, but it is also socially and economically preferable in order to improve our society. The United States’ government first implemented affirmative action to overcome some of the clear differences in living conditions between people of different genders and races. Unfortunately, these differences still exist and eliminating affirm ative action now would be premature for our nation. Affirmative action is essential to compensate for the fact that women and minorities receive fewer opportunities to succeed. Even after laws were passed to end institutionalized racism, the white males who owned the businesses and held the best jobs before continued to own the businesses and hold the best jobs. While legal equality may have been achieved, the nation was nowhere near having true social equality. As President Lyndon B. Johnson stated when he first started affirmative action, â€Å"This is the next and the more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity. We seek not just legal equity but human abi... ...., William. â€Å"Give Affirmative Action Time to Act.† AAD Project. 1 Dec. 2000. University of California Santa Barbara, Department of English. 19 Feb. 2002 http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/docs/darity.html>. Hanmer, Trudy J. Affirmative Action: Opportunity for All?. Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1993. Mask, Susan. â€Å"Countering the Myths: A Proponent’s Point of View.† University of Iowa, Office of Affirmative Action. 25 Feb. 2002 http://www.uiowa.edu/~oaa/counteri.htm>. Plous, Scott. â€Å"Ten Myths About Affirmative Action.† Journal of Social Issues. 52.4 (1996): 25-31. Pressley, Sue Anne. â€Å"Texas Campus Attracts Fewer Minorities.† Washington Post. 28 Aug. 1997, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/affirm/stories/ aa082897.htm>. Supplier Diversity. Nike. 17 Mar. 2002. http://www.nikebiz.com/diversity/supplier.shtml>.