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Affirmative Action FAQ: From the USC Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism
- Organization: USC Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism
- Document Type: Article/News
- Date Created: Tuesday, November 07, 2006
- Submitted: Tuesday, November 07, 2006
- Attachment(s): PDF
From the report:
"Affirmative Action is the idea that, as US Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun stated in 1978, 'to treat some persons equally, we must treat them differently.' This seemingly contradictory position is meant to ensure that persons of different races, genders, and religious backgrounds receive fair and equitable treatment. It was meant as a corrective to, or means of enforcing, a system of equality. The concept was vigorously promoted by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who argued that merely labeling all peoples as equal is not tantamount to making them equal in treatment or capacity. As he stated, 'You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, 'You are free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe that you have been completely fair.' Affirmative Action became a catchall phrase for a range of approaches aimed at ensuring greater minority representation in colleges and for fostering broader opportunities for women and minorities in education and in the workplace."
"Affirmative Action is the idea that, as US Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun stated in 1978, 'to treat some persons equally, we must treat them differently.' This seemingly contradictory position is meant to ensure that persons of different races, genders, and religious backgrounds receive fair and equitable treatment. It was meant as a corrective to, or means of enforcing, a system of equality. The concept was vigorously promoted by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who argued that merely labeling all peoples as equal is not tantamount to making them equal in treatment or capacity. As he stated, 'You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, 'You are free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe that you have been completely fair.' Affirmative Action became a catchall phrase for a range of approaches aimed at ensuring greater minority representation in colleges and for fostering broader opportunities for women and minorities in education and in the workplace."
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