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It is often argued that affirmative action is no longer necessary because society has changed. One can make the claim, and rightly so, that Americans are more tolerant and accepting than they were 40 years ago. Yet while improvements have been made, equality has unfortunately not been reached, especially with regards to public schooling. For this reason, affirmative action is not only fair, but extremely necessary.

In recent years, public university systems in states like California and Washington have rid themselves of affirmative action. The argument was made that affirmative action was not only unfair to hardworking Caucasian students, but also detrimental to minority students. What is rarely acknowledged however, is just how much worse off public school students are in minority areas than in Caucasian areas. Whether this is because of ignorance or an unwillingness to examine a taboo subject, I do not know. What I do know however, is that in city after city, no matter the state, public schools with high minority populations are more often than not severely behind in academics.

In California for example, schools in high minority (often high poverty) areas tend to fare far worse on standardized testing. Jordan High School in Los Angeles, a school with a 99% minority population, recently received a minimum rank of 1 on the statewide API (Academic Performance Index). On the contrary, Peninsula High School in wealthy Palos Verdes, a school with a majority Caucasian population, received a maximum rank of 10 on the statewide API.

Of course, low test scores cannot fully explain why affirmative action is necessary. What is equally important to look at, are the more subtle statistics that indicate poverty or inequalities in teaching. At Peninsula High School, only 1% of students participate in free or reduced lunch. At Jordan High School, 80% of students participate in free or reduced lunch. At Peninsula High School, no teachers have an emergency credential (given to teachers who "lack the required teacher training"). At Jordan High School, 39% of teachers have an emergency credential. While a teacher with an emergency credential isn't necessarily worse than a full credential teacher, they are often less prepared. This lack of preparation can reflect poorly on the students.

Affirmative action is fair because society is not. The purpose of affirmative action is to level the playing field. Despite many good intentions, the playing field is still not level. Minorities still disproportionately grow up in poorer neighborhoods, with more crime and weaker schools than Caucasian children. Minorities are still disproportionately the victims of employment discrimination, as multiple studies show. Not only are people with "black sounding" names less likely to be called for job interviews, studies have also shown that, "A white man with a criminal record has the same chance of being considered for a job as a black man without one."

Education is the gateway to equality. For all its flaws, affirmative action has helped numerous minorities reach higher levels of education than would otherwise be possible. While it's unfortunate when qualified students or job applicants of any race are denied, minorities simply face too many extra roadblocks to call off a practice that has helped so many.

- References Used:
- http://www.greatschools.net/
- http://findarticles.com/p/arti cles/mi_m0DXK/is_9_20/ai_10452 1293
- http://pressblog.uchicago.edu/ subjects/black_studies/

Learn more about this author, Jimmy Bromberg.
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