Affirmative Action

Justice for Trayvon Martin
(^ Link to blog/poem )
I found this blog/poem as I was searching on the net for more news on the killing of Trayvon Martin. The poem is written by a white male and he talks on white privilege and why more white people have to speak up about it! Fun blog you guys should check it out! Also relates to our blog this week on discrimination!

Affirmative Action Case:
After reading about Fisher V. University of Texas i thought several things. One thought was that this is really huge for the school that I attend to presently be involved with such a case that is sensitive in many aspects. To start I thought i would post a clear definition of what discrimination is.

Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership - or perceived membership - in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. It involves excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to other groups.


As we have learned in class there in no such thing as reverse discrimination. Minorities and African Americans specifically will never hold enough institutional power to advantage us over other groups in our country. 


Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin"^[1] into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually justified as countering the effects of a history of discrimination.



Now from reading this Affirmative Action does take into consideration race and color  however, not to exclude gender and sexual orientation. People of all colors represent all genders and sexual orientations. I feel people need to stem away from only seeing Affirmative Action as a policy that uplifts minority races. I feel Affirmative Action was a policy that was set forth to yes uplift those of minority races but this policy also crosses over socioeconomic status and most importantly addresses uneven opportunities within this country. Unfortunately these unequal opportunities weigh heavily on minorities and specifically the black community. Affirmative action in relation to University acceptance gives those who have been brought up in communities with very little resources, the resources they need to succeed at a higher level. Once again most people in disadvantaged communities and areas with low resources and education systems are minorities.


Going back to this case as we discussed in class the Tim Wise video touches on the topic of poor whites. In the example of the Katrina devastation in New Orleans poor whites who lived nothing more than a few feet away from poor blacks felt they had more in common with their classification of whiteness than their actual socioeconomic status or standards of living. People see the color white and do not associate this with being poor. Although the white people who were devastated by Katrina lost just as much as the black people they felt higher and that they had more in common with the well off "white folks." In this case we see Fisher a white student emphasizing the fact that they too are poor and deserve the same as a poor black student who needs assistance.


Overall i feel this article touched a lot of sensitive topics but I disagree with doing away with affirmative action because the truth is within out society we need it. There will never be equality for people who do not fit into the "norm." People may view Affirmative Action as unfair but it is needed to keep diversity within our schools and diversity within the opportunities handed out within society.


Just as the blog I posted on Trayvon Martin stated. "White people, you will never look suspicious." I think this goes back to the idea that white people will always be associated with their whiteness first. Meaning that they will always have privilege over any minority wether poor, rich, educated, employed, or unemployed so the need for affirmative action will always be crucial to keep diversity and equal opportunity in our educational institutions.