Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action is defined as, “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and for women.” It was created to help with discrimination against these groups so they can be included in jobs, colleges, government contracts, and so much more. The implementation of Affirmative Action acknowledged that there was a problem as it tried to be part of a solution. It was created for a reason and now it seems as if we are going back in time as the Supreme Court has made it unlawful for colleges to take race in consideration as a factor in admission. It is sad because the same issues that existed when the law was created are still there.

This decision will greatly impact Black and brown kids and their future. Some minority students will not be considered now for those elite colleges and universities. It’s all political and not about the people. It means that minority students will have to work twice as hard to make themselves unique or stand out from other students. They will also have to get involved in more enrichment activities that will make their academic resume impressive. This means participating in extracurricular activities, community service, and keeping their grades up. There is no room for error. This also means that parents will have to step up and get involved in their children’s education and try to expose their kids to as much as possible outside of their own communities.

Michelle Obama spoke out about the ruling and shared a message about her journey as one of the only Blacks on her campus. She, like many others across the nation, was heartbroken about the ruling and what it means for our kids and their future. She ended her message stating, “Today is a reminder that we’ve got to do the work not to just enact policies that reflect our values of equity and fairness, but to truly make those values real in all of our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods.”

For me, it seems as if after President Obama was elected, things changed. I think many people thought racism was over, or that we made extreme progress by electing an African American president. However, as much as I loved that President Obama was elected, it started a chain reaction of events that has set us back many decades. We also saw a lot of racist comments and actions during the “Make America Great Again” era. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion from college campuses, banning certain books from school libraries, and now affirmative action, what’s next?