What is Affirmative Action? Well for starters, Affirmative Action, was created in the 1960’s, in efforts to create equal opportunity for ‘disenfranchised groups’ or ‘disadvantaged groups.’ And the term ‘disadvantaged groups’ and ‘disenfranchised groups’ was used to address minorities and women in general. Affirmative Action was designed to readdress or ‘undo’ past injustices and discrimination by uplifting their economic and educational opportunities. This policy was a product of the Civil Rights movement. Schools before the 1960’s were not a place of diversity. Many schools were often biased or were suited for one class of individuals. Generally speaking, this class was white males. Females and minorities were not allowed to go to school. Then in the 1960’s, a shift began to happen, schools began to be integrated. Or undergo the process of integration, through many actions -bussing is an example.

For females and minorities, this policy affects them. And as a Black female, this policy affects me. Race and Gender are often topics that are mentioned when discussing Civil Rights policies and progressive policies. Affirmative Action affects many factions or groups. Females and minorities are affected by this policy. Also, colleges, universities, labor unions, education unions, and non-People of Color are affected by this policy as well. And as a Black female, this policy affects me too. This policy also intended to increase representation too. This policy tries to enforce equality but often, unintentionally applies equity. There are also downfalls within this policy, that can be seen with a few Supreme Court cases. We have the idea of wanting diversity, but also establishing quotas. These ideas and concepts even contradict itself as noted with some Supreme Court cases too.

Criticism is evident within this policy as well. Who is it intended to help versus whom it helped is often at the center of many arguments. According to The New York Times, The National Center for Education Statistics reported that out of 17 million undergraduate students, in the United States, 57% were white, and less than 20% were Blacks or Hispanics. There is even more data supporting the fact that Blacks and Hispanics are still underrepresented in Colleges and Universities compared to whites. So, was Affirmative Action successful or not? In my opinion, Affirmative Action, as a policy, is heavily flawed. This policy diminishes the work and integrity of People of Color (POCs), and only uplifts one selected race.

Growing up, I was always told to have good grades and always to aim high. With that in mind, I excelled in all my academic classes and decided to further my education. In high school, I was ranked number 15 out of a class of 400 students. I was proud of my accomplishment, but I did not know what the upcoming outcome of this was. When I was talking to my peers about colleges that I wanted to go to, one of my peers suggested that I go to an Ivy League school. I thought she was telling me this because I had the grades, and I was practically involved in everything in school. But, in her context, it was different. She mentioned that it would be easier for me to get into any Ivy League because of my race and sex. This story is too familiar with a lot of People of Color, and more specifically, POCs that are females. Unfortunately, this is one of the unintended effects of Affirmative Action.