Let’s rewind the clock to senior year at Lick-Wilmerding High School. I’m sitting with a good buddy of mine during a free period and we’re stressing over college applications. Abruptly, he tells me, “If I were black, getting into college would be way easier.” Although I chose to not say anything, in my mind, I felt my friend was being a dumbass.
Since John F. Kennedy’s executive order of 1961, affirmative action has been one of the hottest topics in the nation. In addition to casual conversation among people, affirmative action has been an issue brought up continuously in courtrooms. Recently, the Supreme Court has evaluated cases regarding whether educational institutions should consider race in their admissions process.
The primary goal of affirmative action in schools is to increase diversity. In an academic setting, incorporating students from different backgrounds and experiences brings new ideas to the table and promotes critical thinking among peers about other cultures. Additionally, its goal is to give minorities the same opportunities to succeed as the vast majority. In many cases, African-American students that come from poor neighborhoods typically do not have the same level of opportunities to attend institutions such as Harvard, Yale or Princeton. Families may not have the ability to pay for private SAT tutors, college preparation courses or visits to any school of their choice. Thus, affirmative action levels the playing field.
If affirmative action does all these great things, why is it the subject of so much controversy? A main reason behind this is because many people view it as an unfair advantage. Common critiques are that it lowers expectations for blacks, it is easier applying to college if you’re black, and lastly, the one I hate most, it’s reverse racism. Regardless of whether I’m chatting with friends or looking at articles on the web, these criticisms drive me absolutely insane. How can something that creates equal opportunity be a disadvantage for others? To say that affirmative action is some unfair leg up is utter blasphemy.
There are simply things none of us can ignore: blacks are at a disadvantage in our society. Last year, PBS reported that merely 54 percent of African-American males graduate from high school compared to more than 75 percent of white and Asian students.
In college, it is no secret that African-American males are scarce: The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation found that black males, ages 18 and over, contribute to a startlingly small 5.5 percent of all college students. Additionally, in January of 2014, CBS Philly announced that 44 percent of African-American males have been arrested before their 23rd birthday. These numbers speak directly to the lack of resources in predominantly black communities and the clear disadvantage they are faced with.
I can speak to the struggles of an African-American male from personal experiences. From elementary school to college, I’ve attended predominantly white institutions where I am typically racially outnumbered. It’s frustrating having to go to classes where peers and professors don’t look like you or understand your background. When chilling with friends on the weekends I have often been the typical “token” black guy of the group and the subject of stereotypical jokes. After awhile, it’s easy to feel inferior due to the fact you hardly see anyone like you around. Although I have always had food on my table and never been exposed to gang violence or the mass use of drugs, I have faced my own share of adversity as a black male in settings where I’m outnumbered.
It’s intimidating as a youth to be faced with statistics that say you’re unlikely to graduate high school or to deal with being racially outnumbered. Instead of believing that affirmative action makes someone’s life easier, we should understand that it takes into account these disadvantages for African Americans.
While it is safe to assume that the vast majority agrees that diversity must be increased in colleges, there still remains a great divide on how we can accomplish this goal. To say that affirmative action is unfair is, well, unfair. According to my friend, getting into college would have been a piece of cake if he were me. But, would his life actually be easier if he were in my shoes?
Thornton: Leveling the playing field
Kaneemt Thornton
October 13, 2015
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