Is Affirmative Action Ruining Equality?

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Is affirmative action blinding colleges and universities? As colleges and universities push vigorously for the equality of races, they are making a larger problem than they are solving. Colleges and universities are attempting to solve inequality by offering scholarships and opportunities to certain races. In other words, colleges and universities are attempting to solve inequality by with inequality. While some states have banned affirmative action, the Supreme Court has yet to take a firm stand for or against it.
President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order in 1961 that government contractors should take affirmative action to prevent race, religion, and national origin from taking precedence in how they are treated and employed. President Lyndon B. Johnson expanded on this with an executive order in 1965 which prohibits discriminatory practices by government contracted and public companies—which includes public colleges and universities (oeod.uci.edu). Do some societal and economic injustices still exist between African Americans and Whites?—Yes, but the gaps that these inequalities are producing are closing or have already closed in most cases, so these shrinking or diminished inequalities should not give colleges and universities the right to select future students based on race. Colleges and universities should be focusing on becoming intellectually diverse, not ethnically diverse. By restricting the ethnicity of accepted applicants, universities and colleges are robbing themselves of many people that could provide a positive change to the college.
Many organizations and colleges will offer scholarships to certain ethnicities or genders. College Prowler, a website designed for finding scholarships, will allow you to...

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...“disadvantages that often hamper opportunities to achieve the badges that help students "win" in the admissions game.” While Onwuachi-Willig has a valid point, I do not see why one should give special opportunities to a specific race. A writer in USA Today describes a “roundabout method” that would help those that truly need it. “Giving a boost to lower-income students helps all races, while avoiding unnecessary help to well-off applicants simply because they're minorities” (USA Today). This solution provides help to people who truly need it, people who are unable to afford college.
Affirmative action began with President Kennedy’s executive order and has since propagated into many aspects of our lives. While this executive order was greatly needed at that time, 1961, it is no longer the best solution if America is going to be truly socially and economically equal.

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