Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

          Recently in Oklahoma and in the United States in general, there has been uproar concerning affirmative action. Affirmative action is a policy that prevents discrimination, and allows equal opportunities in employment and education for women and minorities. Banning affirmative action would cause an even bigger uproar throughout the states. Not only would it put an end to the fight against racism, but it would also put an end to the diversity in the workplace environment and on university campuses. If affirmative action were to be banned, a majority of the minorities who were benefiting from it would suffer greatly.

                                                                           Sincerely,                                                                                       A Concerned American  

State Representatives and Senators on Affirmative Action

As of now, the Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate affirmative action in state government. It had already passed the Senate and will go to a vote of the people next year.

Rep. T.W. Shannon says,

“I believe discrimination exists, I don’t think affirmative action has been as successful as we like to believe.”

Rep. Sally Kern says,

“We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that’s tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don’t want to study as hard in school? I’ve taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them.”

President Obama supports affirmative action but questions its effectiveness. When addressed on the topic he says,

"Diversity enriches education. As America grows more diverse, it is essential that students be exposed to diversity in all its forms and learn how to effectively communicate, collaborate, and compete with people of all backgrounds."

My Thoughts: In Representative Shannon's eyes, affirmative action has failed. But he himself has failed to see how much good affirmative action has done to the minority in Oklahoma. Rep . Sally Kern undermines women and colored people by saying that they either do not work hard enough or that women usually spend most of their time at home. In my opinion she comes off as a racist person by saying that minorities do not earn equal pay because they are not hard-workers, and have less initiative.

Has Media Coverage Influenced Government Policies?

In the past, media coverage has had some sort of effect on race-based policy decisions. The news exposure affected the relevance and weight of factors taken into consideration when making policy determinations. The use of media increases the weight of the already existing "ideological orientation", and can have played a part in the policy decisions. Due to media coverage, greater opposition to affirmative action policies was reported.

My Thoughts: In my opinion, media coverage has influenced government policies. Media always plays a role in making decisions, especially ones that affect a majority of citizens living in the United States. Due to media coverage on affirmative action, I believe that the decision on the matter will not be the same as it would have been if there was not so much media coverage on the topic. My reasoning for that is that in most cases in which a lot of media coverage is involved, a lot of activists and local citizens tend to get involved in the situation. Once local citizens and activists get involved, government officials have to come up with a solution that makes everyone happy in a way that benefits everyone.

Media and Affirmative Action

As the conflict on affirmative action began to rise, protests also began to rise. Groups were created, blogs were written, and media was of course involved. Alot of media coverage has been dedicated to affirmative action. A lot of news websites have dedicated a certain part of the website to inform the citizens of the status, and the curremt news on affirmative action and other civil rights activities.

• http://www.usnews.com/topics/subjects/affirmative_action - This website tells us about the latest news about affirmative action. It includes articles and blogs about affirmative action published by U.S. News & World Report.


• http://www.seattletimescompany.com/communication/momentum/timeline.htm - This website provides a timeline including all important events that have occured in the United States (including affirmative action).


• http://www.affirmativeaction.org/news.html - This website is dedicated to the promotion of affirmative action. The indicated website shows all articles or news related to affirmative action provided from 2007-2011.


• http://www.discourses.org/OldBooks/Teun%20A%20van%20Dijk%20-%20Racism%20and%20the%20Press.pdf - The indicated website is a PDF file of a book called "Racism and the Press". The book contains information about media coverage on affirmative action and other civil rights activities.

What Citizen Websites or Groups Have Been Created to discuss Affirmative Action?

Affirmative action has become an issue in America. Many citizens have created websites or groups so show either their support or their disapproval of the banning of affirmative action. Below is a list of websites or organizations that have been created due to the current uproar on affirmative action:

• http://www.bamn.com/ - BAMN is a coalation to defend affirmative action, integration, and immigrant rights. It also fights for equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN).

• http://www.affirmativeaction.org/about.html

• http://www.ethnicmajority.com/affirmative_action.htm - Ethnic Majority is a website whose purpose is to empower people of colored skin to make a difference in America.

What do Interest Groups Have to Say on Affirmative Action!

Throughout America there are a lot of civil rights and interests groups. There a few advocacy groups that are dedicated to preventing the ban of affirmative action. Each interest group has helped in its own way to keep affirmative action present in the United States America.

• Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

"Affirmative action is one of the most effective tools for redressing the injustices caused by our nation's historic discrimination against people of color and women, and for leveling what has long been an uneven playing field. A centuries-long legacy of racism and sexism has not been eradicated despite the gains made during the civil rights era. Avenues of opportunity for those previously excluded remain far too narrow. We need affirmative action now more than ever." ( "Affirmative Action - ACLU Position Paper,'' August 2008

• National Organization for Women (NOW)

“Much of the opposition to affirmative action is framed on the grounds of so-called "reverse discrimination and unwarranted preferences." In fact, less than 2 percent of the 91,000 employment discrimination cases pending before the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission are reverse discrimination cases. Under the law as written in Executive Orders and interpreted by the courts, anyone benefiting from affirmative action must have relevant and valid job or educational qualifications.” (“The Origins of Affirmative Action,” August 1995)

• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

"LULAC strongly supports equal opportunity for employment, promotion and contracting, as well as equal access to quality educational opportunities that will empower our youth for success," states Belen Robles, LULAC National President. "LULAC firmly believes that affirmative action is essential to guarantee people of color, minorities and women equality in employment and education." (“LULAC Calls on Congress to Reject Anti-Affirmative Action Bills,” November 1997)

• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Statistics on Affirmative Action

HOW MALE REPRESENTATION BREAKS DOWN BY RACE AND INCOME
About 9.9 million women (57.4%) and 7.4 million men (42.6%) were enrolled in colleges eligible for federal student aid in 2003-04. The percentage of undergrads (18-24) who are male, by race and income:

Low-income (Less than $30,000) Middle-income ($30,000 to $69,999) Upper Income ($70,000 or more)
1995-96 1999-00 2003-04 1995-96 1999-00 2003-04 1995-96 1999-00 2003-04
White 46 42 42 50 46 43 52 48 49
Black 32 36 36 48 42 42 41 48 48
Hispanic 43 43 39 46 51 42 50 52 49
Asian 53 51 47 57 48 50 52 54 51
All 44 42 40 50 47 44 51 48 49


Data: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies, 1995-96, 1999-2000, 2003-04
Income ranges adjusted for inflation to 1995-96 dollars; Source: ACE Center for Policy Analysis

Percentage of Those Who Qualify for Affirmative Action

1. Women 52%
2. Blacks 12%
3. Hispanics 9%
4. Native Americans 2%
5. Asians 4%
6. Physically Disabled 10%
7. Welfare recipients 6%
8. The Elderly 25% (est. Adults over 60)
9. Italians (in New York City) 3%

Statistics Related to Affirmative Action

Click to enlarge.

What is state question 759? What does it do?

State Question 759 prevents preferential treatment to minorities. Affirmative action gives preferential treatment to citizens depending on race, color or gender. It also gives preferred treatment to people or specific national origin. State question 759 wishes to add a new section to the State Constitution. It deals with employment, education, and contracting. The state question will only allow Affirmative Action in three instances:

gender is a bona fide qualification
existing court orders and consent decrees that require preferred treatment
keep or obtain federal funds

State Question 759 was introduced by Senate Rob Johnson. By banning Affirmative Action in the state of Oklahoma, equal opportunity programs are also at risk of being banned. California, Washington and Michigan have already taken steps towards banning Affirmative Action.

Questions to be Answered on my blog!

1. What is Affirmative Action?
2. Who benefits the most from Affirmative Action?
3. Who will be affected in Oklahoma by Affirmative Action?
4. Where do the state representatives and senators stand on this issue?
5. What are the debates against Affirmative Action?
6. Where is it implemented?
7. What are Statistics you can find on Affirmative Action?

Affirmative Action

What is Affirmative Action?

Affirmative Action is when you are required to have a minimum number of minorities and women in a work place, or university campus. It includes steps that are taken to increase the representation of women and minorities such as: Hispanics, African Americans, Latin Americans, Chinese, and more.

What are the current debates against AA?

Currently, Affirmative Action has become an issue in the United States. On npr, a segment of the radio show was dedicated to debating about Affirmative Action. A debate between six people. Three of them for AA, and the other three against AA. Arguments such as, the lack of diversity on university campus's, students and workers need to be exposed to diverse ethnicities were given by those that were against the motion of banning Affirmative Action. Those for the motion gave arguments like, AA is no longer about racial discriminations, it is currently about racial preferences.

Where is it implemented?

At the University of Michigan, they have already taken steps to banning Affirmative Action on the school campus. Washington and California are not far behind and are taking similar steps to banning AA.