Racial Discrimination And Discrimination

When individuals first encounter one another, the first thing noticed is not their intellect or poise, but it is the color of person’s skin that is seen first. At that point, assumptions are made based upon their race and ethnicity, which ultimately guides interaction. The stereotypes of blacks have not diminished, but have significantly heightened by the media depicting black individuals as obnoxious and ignorant. Many people may argue that affirmative action is no longer needed because African Americans are now on a leveled playing field; however, if women are only worth seventy-seven cents to a dollar, what makes individuals think that blacks, who were once considered three-fifths of a person, are treated any better? Regardless of socioeconomic

Weber occurred, which entailed a Louisiana plant that had employed few minorities in skilled positions. There was an agreement made amongst the employer and the union that fifty percent of the available training positions would be given to African American employees. The plan was developed as a temporary solution to lessen the racial imbalance. After being passed over for the program for several black employees who were less qualified, Brian Weber, a white employee, brought suit, alleging that the company 's affirmative action policy violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII, which forbids discrimination in the employment process based on race, states in part, "It shall be an unlawful employment practice for any employer ... to discriminate against any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprenticeship or other training." However, since the program did not aim to prevent white advancement, it was not discriminatory. Many individuals harbor the same mindset as Weber, believing that a large percentage of white workers will be deprived of job opportunities if affirmative action is continued; that belief is incorrect. According to the U.S. Commerce Department in 2011, there were 2.6 million unemployed Blacks and 114 million employed White citizens. Therefore, even if every unemployed Black worker in

Most minorities are not presented with the equal opportunities. Socioeconomic status and race have a direct correlation; generally, minorities have lower socioeconomic backgrounds, so they are presented with fewer chances to succeed. This factor is commonly identified within the education system. Those individuals who live in inferior neighborhoods are given a mediocre education, which in turn makes it difficult to progress in society because they lack critical skills needed to obtain a decent job or succeed in higher educational institutions. The fact that the mindsets of people have not progressed since affirmative action was presented, also shows that there is a continued need to help disadvantaged individuals with