As the debate started, I found myself feeling very
confident because I was pro-affirmative action, the side that I had already
believed in. However, it was interesting to hear the other side of the argument,
and while I did agree with some points made from the other side, I still felt
true to my views. According to Google, affirmative action is defined as “an
action or policy favoring those who have suffered from discrimination”, a way
to assure that individuals have an equal chance to opportunities because
everyone does not start on an even playing field. The keyword here is chance
because with just this, the number of minority applications in colleges has
doubled or tripled as a result of affirmative action programs in congruence
with awareness about affirmative action policies. Of course affirmative action
doesn’t only have to be seen through the lens of race, but we must not forget the
impact of institutional racism and the consequences of it that we deal with
today. Communities today are divided by many intersectional forces of oppression
that plague students and becomes the system that holds them back in the race of
America’s educational system, which makes it harder for many to catch up to
others ahead as time progresses because they don’t all start at the same
starting line. Affirmative action policies give minorities the equal access to
opportunity which sets off the imbalance that is already so pervasive. In
addition, diversity will already develop the ability within students to
understand others through a multicultural perspective therefore improving their
development as students bettering them for life ahead. Of course the majority
is still the majority at educational institutions today, but that’s because
these institutions were established centuries ago whereas affirmative action
has only been around since 1961. Of course this change will happen gradually,
but it needs a little bit of encouragement which is through affirmative action.
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