Affirmative Action Essays (1644 words) - Social Inequality

Affirmative Action AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INTRODUCTION Affirmative action is the name of an American social practice through which members of historically disadvantaged racial and/or ethnic groups are given preferential treatment in an effort to compensate for past harm caused to their ancestors. For thirty years, affirmative action was carefully shielded from open, honest evaluation while it simultaneously grew more pervasive along with the federal bureaucracy and welfare state. The recent political upheaval caused by the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 has opened the door for opponents of affirmative action programs to successfully pursue their gradual elimination. If affirmative action is to continue as an American institution, its supporters must be willing to listen to frank criticisms of affirmative action's shortcomings. Nevertheless, affirmative action programs remain an endangered species. II. HISTORICAL CONCEPT Affirmative action programs were initiated by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 to correct past discrimination. Its purpose was to actively seek out black candidates for jobs, college, or promotions, without treating them differently in the decision to hire, admit, or promote. In the 1970s, however, affirmative action took on a new meaning as good-faith efforts to recruit blacks would not withstand a Title VII challenge of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Employers and admission committees had to actually hire or admit black applicants to withstand challenges of racial discrimination (Rodrigue, 1995). The strategy most frequently employed was to select the best available black candidate even if the best was not good enough for the position. The rationale most frequently given for affirmative-action programs is ?the principal of compensatory justice? This principle states that whenever an injustice has been committed, just compensation or reparation must be made to the injured party. It is this principle that is the rationale behind the tort law's compensating victims for infers for individual harms. This principle also explains why German paid Jews for the harms caused in World War II and why American Indians should be compensated for the past unjust deprivation of their trivial land. Indeed, affirmative action means taking measures that go beyond merely ceasing or avoiding discrimination; it means taking measures that attempt to undo or compensate for the effects of past discrimination. The principle is encountered in several major categories of discrimination areas-most notably employment and education, but also such areas as housing and government contracting. In this way we can say that affirmative action programs help support the principle of equality of citizens that is a defining feature of democracy. III. THE ROLE OF HR IN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAMS Equal Employment Opportunity means that an HR manager will; ? provide equal access to all available jobs, training, and promotional opportunities ? provide similar benefits and services to everyone ? apply all policies and practices consistently to applicants and staff ? do not differentiate among applicants or employees on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation In other words, EEO forbids employment discrimination. It requires the elimination of any bias in personnel activities. However, if we take a look at the nature of affirmative action policies, they do not promote democracy. Indeed, in n employment, for example, two basic categories of affirmative action can be identified: (1) coercive and (2) voluntary. Coercive plans, in turn, fall into two groups: plans imposed as a condition of government contracts or grants; and court-imposed remedies under Title VII of the Civil Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C.A 2000e et sequ.). Voluntary plans are those adopted by an employer, university, or the like, when under no direct legal compulsion to do so. The earliest affirmative action plans were concerned with race, but plans now frequently extend to sex, national origin, and religion (Rodrigue, 1995). Over the past thirty years, affirmative action programs initiated by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have grown into ?. . . a web of racial and gender preferences touch[ing] all federal departments, according to a recent congressional report.? When Senator Robert Dole asked for a list of race-related federal policies, ?He got back a 32-page report listing roughly 160 laws, regulations or executive orders.? (Rodrigue, 1995). This issue has been viewed as not being a true champion of democracy, as Democrats use it against Republicans. It does take race

East. St. Lousi Essay

East. St. Lousi Essay East. St. Lousi Essay Putting it Together Soc 390 April 25, 2013 East St. Louis Illinois is promoted, by their Mayer in his website address, as a â€Å"great place to live, to work, to do business, and to raise a family† (2011:245). This statement seems contradictory to the statistics showing that population has declined by one third since 1950 while unemployment is estimated at over 50% (2011:245). This paper will examine the historical and current neighborhoods, job opportunities, and family structures of East St. Louis by using the theories of Massey and Denton, Cohen, and Stack. It will also examine why poverty continues to increase and provide argument that a major reform in social policy must take place to dismantle this perpetuating cycle. To understand what changes must be made, a brief overview of the history of East St. Louis is necessary. Neighborhoods In the early twentieth century, East St. Louis was an all American city. People from varied backgrounds were flooding towards this industrial hot spot in search of work that was abundant. People were building houses and raising families in the quiet suburbs of St. Louis city. Children were free to play in the well-manicured public spaces. Couples could take evening strolls and listen to the music playing in the nightclubs and plenty of small businesses lined the streets (2011:36). However, with the political interest of this city being geared towards industry, this residential paradise would soon take a turn for the worse. Today, East St. Louis is hardly recognizable to the residents of its past. The once thriving businesses are closed and the buildings are uninhibited. The streets are littered with trash and rubble from the decay of the old structures (2011:39). Vandalism and crime have taken over in most of the public spaces. The current residents of this city are now left to dea l with the fallout of this abandoned landmark. This situation can be seen time and time again in cities across the nation. As discussed in Streetwise, the village of Northton went through a similar transformation during World War II (1990:56). The influx of jobs brought desirability to the village and in turn attracted lower income families, the unemployed. When poverty moved into the area, the wealthy and middle class residents moved out. â€Å"The out-migration of middle class families from ghetto areas left behind a destitute community lacking the institutions, resources, and values necessary for success in post-industrial society†(1993:7). This quote is an exact reflection of what took place in East St. Louis in the 1960’s. After the civil rights movement, black families found increasing opportunities for advancement and started a migration towards better neighborhoods. Consequently, white residents started to flee in the late 1960’s (Nunes, 1998). The white industrial workers started noticing the overflow of black families from Brooklyn encroaching on the Northern border of East St. Louis. This migration caused white families to leave their house as well as their job thus providing more resources for black families moving in, white flight. Slowly the white-owned industries lost interest in the area and started phasing out. The middle class blacks followed suit and left only the low income blac k families within the city. The possibility of escaping this abandoned city is very unlikely without financial resources. Even the middle class families that can successfully make it out of the ghettos are faced with a highly segregated housing market (1993:9). Culture of poverty theorists cite poor work ethics and morals as the downfall of the city and maintained that these traits carry across generations (Hamer 56). However, others cite changes in welfare policy concentrating on removing the poor from welfare rolls and forcing them into low wage labor as â€Å"welfare racism† (Hamer 57). Personally I believe we can reform the welfare system to remove the negative effects without abandoning the impoverished. Again,