News

White Man's Burden? Discrimination Suits Flourish

by DEBORAH HASTINGS, AP National Writer , April 29, 2009

Categories:

The issue of reverse discrimination first reached the nation's highest court in the 1970s, when a student with good grades named Allan Bakke accused a University of California medical school of twice denying him admission because he was White.

Strict racial quotas were unconstitutional, the court said – affirmative action was not. But that ruling far from decided what many considered the big-picture issue: does protecting minorities discriminate against the majority?

More than 30 years, and scores of lawsuits later, the question remains unanswered. Meanwhile, more Americans came to believe that affirmation action is no longer necessary and that, instead of leveling the playing field for minorities, it unfairly punishes Whites.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case filed by White firefighters who claimed they were denied promotion because of the color of their skin.

"The laws that Congress wrote are clear – everyone is protected from racial discrimination," said Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative think tank that advocates eliminating race and ethnic considerations. "Not just Blacks, but Whites. Not just Latinos, but Whites."

Those who favor affirmative action say race divisions still exist in this country, 40 years after the civil rights movement.

"Race so permeates society that you can't ignore it," said Dennis Parker, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Racial Justice Project.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Comments posted here may be reprinted in Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine, and may be edited for purposes of clarity and/or space.



Story Tools

Print Print
Text Size Smaller | Larger
Email
Share

Related Stories

Popular Topics


FEATURED jobs
Full Time, Tenure Track Faculty
North Seattle Community College

North Seattle Community College (NSCC) is seeking dynamic and collaborative individuals for Faculty positions in Business, Physics, and Visual Arts. These tenure-track positions will be generalists able to prepare and teach courses in their related field.


Enterprise Application Services Business Analyst
Ithaca College

The department of Enterprise Application Services within Ithaca College's Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) invites applications for a Business Analyst position to collaborate with departments across campus to identify, define and document business requirements as part of Enterprise Application Services (EAS)...


Business and Economics Librarian
Cornell University

Requires: Familiarity with software and tools for information management. Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. Must enjoy providing services to a diverse audience. Demonstrated initiative and flexibility, and ability to work independently and collaboratively.


Chief Information Officer
State University of New York

The State University of New York (SUNY), the nation s largest and most comprehensive system of public higher education, seeks a Chief Information Officer (CIO). This position is located in Albany, New York at the System Administration of the State University of New York.


Copyright 2012 © Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, a CMA publication.
Cox, Matthews, and Associates, Inc., 10520 Warwick Ave, Suite B-8, Fairfax, VA 22030