The inception of affirmative action came about thirty years ago. It then faced a possible termination in the 1990s, but it survived. It traces back to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination in public education and employment. It was originally written to apply to blacks only, to eliminate intentional discrimination. It would eventually grow to include not only blacks but also women and other minorities. They too began to receive preferences due to affirmative action. It is now defined as the equal opportunities given to women, minorities, and small groups so they will have the same tools, education and allotment to achieve their goals in life. Since affirmative action came about, a constant debate arises about if it is truly equal and fair. Was it a word made as a cushion to people so they will feel equal?
             I recently asked a friend of mine who is an African-American college student, what affirmative action meant to him and he responded without hesitation "let the Negro in," I laughed when he said that because it came to him so instantaneously it was like he had been thinking about this before I posed the question to him. Is this really what it means, I wonder? .
             As I silently ask myself what it means to me. It is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women." In my opinion affirmative action is a fair and just way of forcing the integration of minorities and women into a society that would normally consist of only white males. I agree completely with Eric Schnapper, a law professor at University of Washington and a longtime civil rights lawyer " Some people were simply not going to change unless you ordered them, 'The next person you hire is black'." Without the implementation of affirmative action it is safe to say women and minorities would st...