Bakke Case
Affirmative Action is a controversial and heated topic for all races still today. It is difficult for me to be neutral on the topic as I have strong feelings about it as well. A teacher has to be very careful these days when discussing racial prejudice. It seems that if you say anything that is perceived to be negative about another race (or allow it to be said) you are automatically labeled a “racist”. As a teacher, I struggle with this because I believe that the less we talk about these issues, the more divided we become. How can a classroom have a real discussion about issues if one side is attacked for having opinions that the other side does not agree with and therefore labels the opinion as racist? I have witnessed this personally, and I continue to struggle with it.
With that said, I believe it is necessary to talk about Affirmative Action. I usually address the issue during a unit covering the Civil Rights Movement. I believe that students should really weigh the pros and cons of the issue. It is also a good exercise to have students of differing opinions trade sides and argue the other’s side for a time. Students should look at why Affirmative Action was started and understand that there was a need for a level playing field. The class should also weigh the consequences of it. Is it hypocritical to say that race should not be a factor in profiling of an accused suspect (i.e. witnesses say they saw a Hispanic man running from the scene yet Police may not look for a man that looks Hispanic???) yet say that race should be a factor in determining college acceptance? What does it mean to be truly ‘color-blind’? What did Martin Luther King Jr. really mean when he said in his “I Have a Dream” speech that “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”?
All of these things should be discussed (with the reservations mentioned previously). Students should also look at why the Supreme Court was so slow to make a decision. In one case, they chose not to rule because the plaintiff was about to graduate and they felt that a decision in the case would be moot. Does it show the same reluctance to decide something which might be called “racist”?
The Bakke case left Affirmative Action still in limbo. With a confusing decision, the issue was still not resolved. The issue of Affirmative Action cooled off for quite some time but in a recent Affirmative Action case, the Supreme Court that race can be used in some university admission decisions but tried to put some limits on it. Currently, it seems to be upheld for graduate students entering law school but struck down for undergraduate admissions.
Finally, I would have students look at what Affirmative Action really is. Discuss the issue of granting minorities 20 points to their admissions score just by being a minority. Examine why Affirmative Action is still viewed as necessary and whether the university is allowed to discriminate because it values diversity in its student body, or whether discrimination is only justified to reverse past racial injustice. Can past racial injustice ever be made up? If Affirmative Action is intended to do that, where does that leave recent immigrants who are of an established minority race?
With that said, I believe it is necessary to talk about Affirmative Action. I usually address the issue during a unit covering the Civil Rights Movement. I believe that students should really weigh the pros and cons of the issue. It is also a good exercise to have students of differing opinions trade sides and argue the other’s side for a time. Students should look at why Affirmative Action was started and understand that there was a need for a level playing field. The class should also weigh the consequences of it. Is it hypocritical to say that race should not be a factor in profiling of an accused suspect (i.e. witnesses say they saw a Hispanic man running from the scene yet Police may not look for a man that looks Hispanic???) yet say that race should be a factor in determining college acceptance? What does it mean to be truly ‘color-blind’? What did Martin Luther King Jr. really mean when he said in his “I Have a Dream” speech that “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”?
All of these things should be discussed (with the reservations mentioned previously). Students should also look at why the Supreme Court was so slow to make a decision. In one case, they chose not to rule because the plaintiff was about to graduate and they felt that a decision in the case would be moot. Does it show the same reluctance to decide something which might be called “racist”?
The Bakke case left Affirmative Action still in limbo. With a confusing decision, the issue was still not resolved. The issue of Affirmative Action cooled off for quite some time but in a recent Affirmative Action case, the Supreme Court that race can be used in some university admission decisions but tried to put some limits on it. Currently, it seems to be upheld for graduate students entering law school but struck down for undergraduate admissions.
Finally, I would have students look at what Affirmative Action really is. Discuss the issue of granting minorities 20 points to their admissions score just by being a minority. Examine why Affirmative Action is still viewed as necessary and whether the university is allowed to discriminate because it values diversity in its student body, or whether discrimination is only justified to reverse past racial injustice. Can past racial injustice ever be made up? If Affirmative Action is intended to do that, where does that leave recent immigrants who are of an established minority race?
posted by huttont | 1:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home