“But they do have the argument that society will prosper to the extent that Hispanics are given the opportunity to fully contribute their abilities to society,” he said.
Greenberg also stressed that Dr. Martin Luther King supported affirmative action and praised India’s affirmative action programs. He added that we would do well to embrace India’s quota-system approach, which designates seats to castes that have been historically discriminated against. King wrote that a society that has acted against Black people for hundreds of years must do something to equip them to compete on a just and equal basis, said Greenberg.
Odeana R. Neal, a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, asked Greenberg how he felt about the backlash of integration efforts, which Greenberg said was led by a network of right-wing organizations such as the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation.
“I can’t know what motivates them, although some are ideologues,” he responded. “That doesn’t mean that they aren’t sincere in their beliefs, although I think they are sadly mistaken. I don’t think they are interested in integrating the country.”
— By Shilpa Banerji
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
