Kyle Canton Contemp Amer H.
             6/09/04 Period 8
             What started out as a temporary policy introduced by President Johnson in 1965 as a way to help minorities compete at an equal level with whites in the workplace and level the playing field may have mutated into exactly what it sought to quell, racism. The controversy started because the process of affirmative action involves preferential selection; selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity. It generates much controversy on whether it really is beneficial or not for the under-represented and whether it gives preference or equality
             The policies known as "Affirmative Action" were in the making for a while. The first appearance of it was in 1941 with President Franklin Roosevelt signing Executive Order 8802; requiring defense contractors pledge nondiscrimination in employment on the basis of race, creed, color or national origin. After that several other steps were taken towards racial equality including Truman's full integration of the armed forces, the overruling of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, and Congress' Civil Rights Act of 1964: which made it illegal for public and private sector employers to discriminate against workers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. With these huge measures, Johnson's Affirmative Action seems like the next logical progression.
             The policies focused on education and the workplace, these required that businesses and colleges actively "recruit" minorities so that they may also enjoy career advancement, scholarships, and financial aid among other things. Some say that we have a long way to go until our nation is fully integrated, and until then, the least we can do to help minorities is give them a leg up after ...