Initiative 200 is opposed to Affirmative Action, a policy or program that aims to promote fairness and equality in public employment, education, and contracting. However, there are concerns that this initiative may unintentionally result in a regression to the racial climate of the 1950s and 1960s instead of effectively addressing racism.
President John F. Kennedy coined the phrase “Affirmative Action” through Executive Order 10952, which established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This order mandated contractors working on federally funded projects to enact Affirmative Action measures. The objective was to advance equal employment opportunities and equitable treatment for all candidates and workers, irrespective of their race, religion, color, or nationality. Furthermore, Kennedy urged Congress to enact a comprehensive civil rights law that would improve educational and employment prospects for minority communities.
The original intention of Affirmative Action was positive, but its meaning and purpose have changed over the past 30 years. In the 90s, discrimination against Caucasians, especially males, arose in order to meet ethnic quotas set by the government. Both the state of Washington and the Federal government have engaged in wasteful spending and discriminatory practices against white males. At the University of Washington, a young woman from a disadvantaged background supported herself through her undergraduate studies by working as a janitor at night. Despite achieving high scores on admission tests (in the 95th percentile), she was denied admission to law school because she identified as white. She believes that she may have been overlooked in favor of someone with lower test scores and GPA but who had more diversity in their background. Similar cases exist throughout Washington and across the United States following a diversity program implemented in 1994 that increased minority enrollment from 17% in 1989 to over 40%.
It is incorrect and inappropriate to include a section on college applications, employment applications, or any other forms that ask about one’s ethnic background. This practice promotes prejudice and can cause resentment among those who are not selected. Furthermore, it may create the perception that individuals with lower test scores are being favored through this system. The only way to eradicate Affirmative Action and racism is by treating all individuals equally.
The concept of Affirmative Action, which seeks to promote equality and inclusiveness, often raises questions about its fairness. In 1974, a woman named Rose encountered discrimination when she was passed over for a supervisory position in favor of a less qualified man. This decision was justified by the man’s need to support his family. Prior to this incident, Rose discovered gender-based pay disparity in her entry-level banking job, with men earning $25 to $50 more than women in the same role. When she brought up this discrimination with the personnel officer, he dismissed her concerns. Thankfully, Affirmative Action has helped decrease such occurrences and expedited corrective actions. However, complete equality has not yet been achieved for women and minorities in the business world. Nevertheless, supporters argue that significant progress has been made through Affirmative Action’s support of women. Currently, women hold 40 percent of middle-management positions within corporations and there has been a 57 percent increase in women-owned businesses since 1982 (Chappell, 1995). Overall, Affirmative Action aimed to provide qualified minorities an equal opportunity to compete against white individuals but discrimination against black individuals still persists in areas like entrepreneurshipCritics argue that Affirmative Action policies may violate constitutional rights as they aim to address disparities. Lyndon B. Johnson once used a track race analogy to exemplify this point, where one runner unjustly sabotages another before the race starts. The race official intervenes and reprimands the cheater while assuring the injured runner that action has been taken. Efforts are being made to prevent such actions from recurring. However, concerns arise about whether merely scolding the offending runner and resuming a race with one runner already ahead is sufficient to rectify the situation. Compromising the fairness of a 100-yard dash by giving an advantage to one runner is not acceptable. The competition has already been negatively affected, so it becomes our responsibility to reconstruct the situation in a way that restores fairness to the event.
Affirmative Action was initially created with the goal of providing equal opportunities for individuals from different ethnic backgrounds and compensating for disadvantages faced by traditional white Americans. However, it has now exceeded its original purpose and mistakenly considers being a white male as a significant disadvantage. Initiative 200 aims to put an end to Affirmative Action in its current form in Washington State.
According to John Carlson, various institutions such as parents, schools, churches, and synagogues emphasize the significance of treating individuals equally regardless of their race. This principle is taught in schools from kindergarten through high school. Similarly, churches and synagogues teach us to treat others how we would want to be treated. Therefore, it is crucial for our government to adopt this concept of equality.
Bibliography:
– A Question of Fairness by Thomas Boston – Ladies Home Journal, March 1996, p 17-20.
– Ready, Aim, Fire by Kevin Chappell – Black Enterprise. March 1996, p 24.
– What They Dont Tell You About Affirmative Action – Ebony August 1995, p 6-12.
Clintons’ emphasis on diversity is discussed in an article written by Matthew Cooper, published in U.S. News and World Report on March 20, 1995 (p. 42).
The articles “Affirmative Action on Ever-Thinning Ice” by Tom Dundul from American Enterprise (Janurary/February1996, p. 27-33), “Affirmative Action” by Mark Lavery from Working Women (October 1995, p 39-43), “Down but Not Out” by Sarah Lubman from Black Enterprise (September 1995, p15), “Campus Admissions” by Ralph Rilland from Wall Street Journal (May 16, p81), and “The Jobs of the Future” from Pittsburgh Business Times (April 1996, p72-81) all explore different aspects of affirmative action, admissions policies, and future job prospects.
Published in 1996 by the Cato Institute, The Affirmative Action Fraud is a book authored by Clint Bolick.
The University of Chicago Press published “The Ironies of Affirmative Action” by John David Skrentny in 1996.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition.
The text includes two citations with their respective publication dates and titles. The first citation is from the Wall Street Journal on September 3rd, 1998, titled “Numbers Bind” by John Carlson. The second citation is from the Seattle Post Intelligence on October 18, 1998, titled “The Case for I-200” also by John Carlson.
