The debate on affirmative action remains as one of the critical issues of discussion not only in the United States but also in different countries around the world. The problem has been focused on trying to find a balance between the need to support the disadvantaged communities while building a prospective platform for societal growth. In her argument, Williams (2015) indicates that supporting affirmative action only seeks to create that forward-looking platform from which people would appreciate the existing diversities. The case extends to the fact that successes of people from the minority communities, which may include African Americans, does not highlight them as being from a minority community. Instead, this builds on the front that they are Americans, which reflects on the need to support the critical role associated with affirmative action in the American society.
Position on Affirmative Action
When compared to advantages and disadvantages associated with affirmative action, it is clear that the benefits are much more prevalent, thus, building on the understanding that the American society ought to understand the value of support affirmative action. Some of the essential arguments that would support the value and importance of affirmative action as a critical value of the society include:
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Diversity in the Social Institution
Affirmative action plays a crucial role towards building variety within the social institution while ensuring that people learn the importance of having to respect the social values from other cultures and communities different from their own. Strauss (2014) argues that affirmative action helps towards promoting diversity in ideas as a way of building overall capacity for the societies to achieve the expected levels of development. Thus, this means that embracing affirmative action would mean that the people would learn the value of having to obtain diversity within schools and workplaces.
In other words, this means that the people would focus more on creating a front from which people from different cultural and racial background would be allowed within the same institutions as a way of obtaining diversity. The long-term effect of this is that the society would be in a better position from which to create a racial-tolerant society, which does not view any notable differentiation in the diversities. Ultimately, this would mean that the people would appreciate the strengths and weaknesses associated with others regardless of the existing cultural or racial distinction.
Providing Opportunities
On the other hand, supporting the affirmative action plan only seeks to create that positive avenue from which the disadvantaged communities would be accorded adequate opportunities. Webster (2017) reflects the issue of affirmative action from the perspective that majority of the minority communities find themselves facing limited opportunities for growth and development, which limits the prospects of the people within these communities. However, by supporting affirmative action, it would mean that these people would be accorded opportunities within the social and economic positioning. For example, the people would be granted their rights to housing and employment among other vital areas, which would be of great value towards empowering of these communities.
The focus for having to support affirmative action is to focus on trying to create an equal platform of opportunities for the American people regardless of their cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. Supporting affirmative action on matters of education would mean that college-going students would be accorded the expected opportunities based on their learning abilities but not only the basis of their ‘skin color.’ The decision to judge students based on their racial or ethnic background would mean that a significant number of students with the ability to make the society a better place would be locked out because they do not belong to the specific racial background.
Creating Avenues for Economic Empowerment
For a long time, discrimination has remained a serious issue of concern resulting from a situation where some communities have been facing severe challenges in their bid to achieving the expected levels of economic development. That is one of the critical reasons that may have prompted the United States government, under the leadership of an African American president, Barack Obama, to set up prospective avenues for affirmative action. The key factor to note is that affirmative action has been of great value towards ensuring that people from the minority communities work towards gaining ground on matters of economic development.
For example, the significant disparity in wealth has been cut down by approximately 50% due to the decision to focus on affirmative action as one of the critical elements that would be of value towards building social performance. From that view, it is clear that going against the policy on affirmative action would mean that majority of the people from the minority communities may not be well positioned towards accomplishing some of their set out goals. Additionally, this would mean that these people would not be given a platform that would help in identification of their talents and abilities, which would, in turn, have severe implications on the minority communities.
References
Strauss, V. (2014). Why we still need affirmative action for African Americans in college admissions . Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/07/03/why-we-still-need-affirmative-action-for-african-americans-in-college-admissions/?utm_term=.f087d69582f1
Webster, E. S. (2017). Affirmative Action: What It Is and How it Works . Retrieved from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-is-affirmative-action-explainer
Williams, P. J. (2015). We Need Race-Based Affirmative Action . Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/05/13/can-diversity-survive-without-affirmative-action/we-need-race-based-affirmative-action
