Affirmative Action Reverse Racism
People have made comments before saying black slavery ended a long time ago so why are black people still reaping the benefits or that affirmative action discriminates against white people stating that it is reverse racism. According to YMCA, reverse racism is defined as “A term created and used by white people to deny their white privilege. Those in denial use the term reverse racism to refer to hostile behavior by people of color toward whites, and to affirmative action polices, which allegedly give ‘preferential treatment’ to people of color over whites”. In the U.S. however there is no such thing as “reverse racism”. On the other hand, affirmative action is often accused of being a racist system and
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The GI Bill, which was a bill that passed, gave a range of benefits to returning veterans. Many U.S citizens were afforded upward mobility for the time. Recipients of the GI Bill for example received reduce cost mortgages, low-interest loans, free or reduced-cost tuition and housing for universities and trade schools as well as one year unemployment compensation. Between 1944 and 1949 almost nine million veterans received four billon dollars and unemployment compensation and by 1962 fifty billon dollars in loans. Another large source of assistance was provided to Americans post world war II, the creation of the federal housing administration (FHA). The goal of the FHA was to improve standards and conditions, financed homes at affordable rates and increase the size of the housing market. Because of the government agency, home ownership increased between 1934 and 2001 from 40% to …show more content…
When people are promoting the injustice of affirmative action against white people the fail to account for the very long history of racism that has elevated white Americans and giving them the benefits they received today. Affirmative actions have helped millions of white families gain access to higher education receive high paying jobs and buy homes for the first time ever. One cannot simply ignore the fact that entire racial groups were denied the same privilege.
We still a large gap between the distribution of wealth between white homes and homes belonging to people of color. Residential segregation in neighborhood exists as a direct result of these polices. Large gaps in education and wage earnings between white Americans a non-white Americans are still largely prevalent. When we connect the injustice of the people of color experienced in the past with the injustices the still play today it becomes more than just a mere
This brought about the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act -- the G.I. Bill of Rights". The programs were meant to not only educate and train the returning soldiers, but also help them obtain low interest mortgages and business loans. These loans are backed by the Veterans Administration and guaranteed by the government. Most of the suburbs were built as small communities with strip malls. This meant that all families had to have at least one car, if not two, for a second job.
A healthy postwar economy would depend on providing soldiers money and a place to live once they were home. So the US Government came up with the GI Bill witch was passed 50-0. On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the GI Bill of Rights. The law made possible the loan of billions of dollars to purchase homes for millions of veterans, and helped transform the majority of Americans from renters to homeowners. Though the bill sounded so great many in Congress and educators at Colleges and Universities had serious doubts. Some felt the GI Bill was too expensive, others feared veterans would lower standards in education. Many saw a postwar America faced with the loss of millions of jobs, creating unprecedented unemployment. A federal survey indicated that 56% of the nation's soldiers anticipated a widespread economic depression after the war.
Since the election of President Barrack Obama in 2008, many people have started to believe that America is beyond racial inequalities - this is not the reality. Rather, we, as a society, chose to see only what we want to see. Discrimination is still rampant in our nation. Michelle Alexander explains that since the Jim Crow laws were abolished, new forms of racial caste systems have taken their place. Our society and criminal justice system claim to be colorblind, but this is not the actuality. Michelle Alexander explains:
...disparities between the two ethnic communities that can be traced back to the legacy of slavery and other forms of oppression that blacks have suffered.” Supporters of this view felt that educational achievement correlates more strongly with economic status than with any other single variable. Since the majority of the black community lags behind whites in income and wealth, the educational inequalities are caused by the economic inequalities. They believe that once the inequalities disappear, the educational disparities will as well. Many argue that this is not a viable argument. They point to other minority groups such as Asians, some of whom are financially worse off than blacks, and they excel in school . They felt that because the civil rights legislation removed all roadblocks back in the 60’s and 70’s something else must be contributing to the large gap.
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, affirmative action is “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women.” However, despite its well-intentioned policies, it has been the source of much controversy over the years. Barbara Scott and Mary Ann Schwartz mention that “proponents of affirmative action argue that given that racism and discrimination are systemic problems, their solutions require institutional remedies such as those offered by affirmative action legislation” (298). Also, even though racism is no longer direct, indirect forms still exist in society and affirmative action helps direct. On the other hand, opponents to affirm...
Furthermore, race has always been a serious matter in the Supreme Court and other government administrations, but they fail to recognize the issue. The injustices that minorities had to deal with in the past are the same inequalities that minorities, especially African Americans, still have to face in today’s society.
Affirmative action creates reverse discrimination upon the opposite races. Ever since the civil war of the 1860s and the civil rights movement of the 1960s in which minorities in The United States of America, who majority are composed of African Americans and Women who were refused the opportunity’s to use public services such as public schools and certain Employment opportunities like promotions. The government of the United States has tried to restore equality and balance the society of this country by passing certain policies that would make those who were denied certain opportunities in the past bad times so they would not be left behind in struggle and failure. Affirmative Action was one of these policies. It was first used by President John F. Kennedy In his effort to restore equality of the country...
When we look at the issue of racism from a politically correct, nineties perspective, evidence of the oppression of black people may be obscured by the ways in which our society deals with the inequalities that still exist. There are no apparent laws that prohibit or limit opportunities for blacks in our society today, yet there is a sense that all things are not fair and equal. How can we acknowledge or just simply note how past ideologies are still perpetuated in our society today? We can examine conditions of the present day in consideration of events in the past, and draw correlations between old and modern modes of thinking. Attitudes of racism within the institutions of education, employment and government are less blatant now than in the day of Frederick Douglass, none the less, these attitudes prevail.
From slavery to Jim Crow, the impact of racial discrimination has had a long lasting influence on the lives of African Americans. While inequality is by no means a new concept within the United States, the after effects have continued to have an unmatched impact on the racial disparities in society. Specifically, in the housing market, as residential segregation persists along racial and ethnic lines. Moreover, limiting the resources available to black communities such as homeownership, quality education, and wealth accumulation. Essentially leaving African Americans with an unequal access of resources and greatly affecting their ability to move upward in society due to being segregated in impoverished neighborhoods. Thus, residential segregation plays a significant role in
Racism is the discrimination of different race/races and is the thought of one race or color of skin has more physical/mental abilities than another. It is based on the additudes of one or more people based on the supposed superiority of one group to the supposed infiority of another. A lot of racism existed in the 1900s and with the help of some, most of it stopped. But now it’s coming back. So why do we think such things of other people? Is it really right to think of people differently because of the color of their skin?
The world has lived through generations of racism and racial profiling. After the days of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Civil Rights Movement, the American people thought they had passed the days of hatred and discrimination. Although Americans think that they live in a non-racist society, minorities today still live in the chains of oppression and prejudice through sports, schools, and social media.
Systemic racism’s deep roots in today’s society and government have planted the seeds necessary to marginalize certain groups. Institutions such as the criminal justice system and law enforcement have left many groups disenfranchised. Housing discrimination and the wealth gap has resulted in many without proper housing and underpaid. As time progresses, these problems perpetuate and gradually worsen, leaving a wake of obstacles for all people of color. In order for there to be change in this system, we must realize there is a problem and work in unison to remedy this oppression.
Racism is the mistreatment of a group of people on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, place of origin, or ancestry. The term racism may also denote a blind and unreasoning hatred, envy, or prejudice (Dimensions of Racism). Racism has had a strong effect on society. Despite the many efforts made to alleviate racism, what is the future of African Americans' Racism's long history, important leaders, current status, and future outlook will be the main factors in determining how to combat racism. Racism is still present in many societies, although many people are doing their best to put an end to racism and its somewhat tragic ordeals.
For me, there is a connection between classism and racism. Perhaps I am perpetuating an “-ism” with this assumption. However, I feel as if I have been perceived to be of a certain socio-economic class due to my ethnicity. I come from a Caucasian family that has been in the United States for several generations and we do not have many ties to our European ancestry. Because I am white, people have assumed that I grew up wealthy or at least middle-class. I did not.
Present day America has a problem with people who unfairly prejudice and discriminate against African Americans. Every day, African Americans are forced to face the challenges that modern day society brings them including a preconception that they aren’t as worthy or appreciated as other races. While African Americans used to be exploited for slavery in the 1800s, many still don’t benefit from many of the opportunities that whites see because of their skin color. Racism is a relevant issue in modern America due to the fact that African Americans have disadvantages in schools and they face many injustices in the legal system; one might claim that some cops aren’t racist and they are just biased which is not the case.