Affirmative Action: Still Fighting for Crumbs

 An article entitled: Jim Summerville, Tennessee State Senator, Proposes Ending Affirmative Action reads like this:

A Republican state senator in Tennessee is planning to introduce legislation to end the state's affirmative action program.

Summerville said that he believes the program has become a quota system and said that it is harming people who are qualified. He said that minorities can still be hired without affirmative action if they are qualified.

Summerville said:

“I’ll be called racist and I know that,” Summerville said. “I will not use the term affirmative action because it’s not really very precise anymore. It’s misused and overused and nobody knows exactly what it means, but what we do have are specific preferences in the law given to, for example, let’s say college education. Certain numbers of admissions are reserved to people of minority status. (It) shouldn’t be that way. They can earn it. They have earned it. They do earn it.”

 

I find it incredible that Whites can see racism where there isn’t any, but are completely blind to real world racism. With reports showing that Whites wealth is worth 20 times that of Blacks and 18 times more than Latino, I don’t see why ending Affirmative action would even be a topic of discussion.

Yes, Blacks can be hired on the own merit- and they do. Of course, we are more than capable of getting into school without help- but so are you, yet you dont. Blacks have earned everything they have- the same cannot be said for Whites. Whites have always had a "leg up" in their prosperity and stiil do, contrary to what many believe. 

The wealth gap happened because of government policies. Many were shut out of post war policies that enabled wealth growth such as; the benefits of FDR’s, New Deal, which almost completly left Blacks out of housing ownership, but greatly benefited  Whites. This is the reason, (as well as current racism), why Whites wealth status is so substantial to ours, yet, Whites have the nerve to try and end programs for minorities.

So, while Whites have reaped the benefits from government assistance, we have somehow come to the conclusion that Blacks are being privileged, because of the crumbs being thrown at us. According to the article, “A $95,000 question: Why Are Whites FiveTimes Richer than Blacks in the US? “, Blacks will never achieve the wealth of White if things continue as they are. NEVER!

So why would this be the time to eliminate Affirmative action?

Summerville mentions Affirmative action practices of schools, but one must wonder, did he consider the Affirmative action of Whites, whose children are grandfathered in to colleges because of their parent’s alumni-ship? Will this be eliminated also? Of course, not.

This racist talk comes not from ill informed, uneducated people. This proposal comes from leaders who are educated and have all the privilege and resources afforded them, to become informed. Clearly deciding to pick up a book and educate yourself on who is really receiving preferential treatment, was not important.

We need real leaders who are going to look out for the interest of all people and not just for themselves. How easy do Whites really need it?

Blacks are owed (yes I said owed), way more than Affirmative action can give. If we are ever going to close the gaps, in every sector pertaining to human life, Whites must put away this racist doctrine (yes, it is racist to try and eliminate programs that are trying to achieve equality) and begin to heal the whole country.

After all, when Blacks achieve financial success, it mostly benefits Whites.