Natasha Roberts

Dr. Morris

AF AM 110U

Final Paper

The Need For Affirmative Action

The use of social media has been used as a form of protest as well as a way to

globally unite the black community. With recent events like police brutality, many have turned to

social media to fight back and bring to light a lot of what the police and media keeps hidden. If it

werent for people posting videos from their cell phones, the public would be unaware of the

actual actions that occurred and would be subjected to peoples opinions and biases. They are

using their agency, the human capacity to exercise will and make choices, to step up and define

their own identity and fight for equality. Currently trending twitter is the StayMadAbby hash tag

that references to the Fisher v. University of Texas case involving the use of affirmative action.

University of Texas at Austin graduate, Broderick Greer, tweeted a picture of himself with the

caption I earned this degree through blood, sweat, white fundamentalist supremacy and tears.

#StayMadAbby (Wang, 2015). Earning a college degree is not easy; there are many financial,

social and emotional factors that come into play that can differ an individual from graduating.

Thus, it provides a way for people to support, acknowledge and praise one anothers

accomplishments. Its enforcing black pride and works to combat the negative stereotypes that

are associated with black people.

In 2008, Abigail Fisher, a white woman who graduated a little below the top 10% of her

graduating class, was denied admission to the University of Texas and sued the university for

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racial discrimination. The University of Texas accepts the top 10% from every high school and

for those who fall below that 10%, the university takes other factors into account including race.

Fisher stated that There were people in my class with lower grades who werent in all the

activities I was in, who were being accepted into UT, and the only other difference between us

was the color of our skin, (Bouie, 2015). Her claim could not be proven and was rejected in

2009. The Supreme Court recently revisited her case in order to decipher if The University of

Texas at Austins admissions process violates The United States Constitution 14th amendment

Equal Protection Clause, which was set to guarantee that everyone has the same rights and

decisions should not be based on race (Segall 2015). The lawsuit outraged many people of color

but their fire truly ignited when Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made a similar claim. He

stated, most of the black scientists in this country dont come from schools like the University

of Texas. They come from lesser schools where they do not feel thattheyre being pushed

ahead in classes that are too fast for them, (Farias 2015). Since that statement has been made

there has been uprising and backlash on twitter through the use of the hash tag StayMadAbby.

Abigail Fishers claim and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalias statement show a narrow,

simplistic view on affirmative action and shows she does not fully acknowledge/understand the

larger racial issues at hand that are rooted in our society. The questions that need to be addressed

are; whom does affirmative action actually benefit and what in society has lead to the need for

policies like affirmative action? Affirmative action is used to help combat the problems

associated with institutional racism, white privilege and residential segregation.

Women and minorities are at a disadvantage in the United States. The U.S is a patriarchal

society; men hold positions of power and have authority over women in most aspects of society.

But, the group that is has the highest disadvantage are women of color since they face

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discrimination on both their race and gender which is why there is a need for inclusion programs.

In order to promote equality, affirmative action is used to ensure that women and minorities are

not discriminated against within institutions and organizations and President Lyndon Johnson put

the concept into action in 1965. This initiative has helped to encourage diversity within higher

education and create a more diverse student body at predominately white institutions. With that

said, there are no specific rules in place that require this the use of explicit quotas or set-asides

has been outlawed since 1978, [but] colleges and universities have continued to treat

characteristics as race as plus factors when making selections among qualified candidates for

admission or for scholarships (Crosby 2006) this has caused many white people to become

upset and discredit African American for their capabilities and potentially file lawsuits against

universities like Fisher. Many white men and women see affirmative action as a way for black

students to be accepted into universities when they dont deserve it and are not destined to

succeed, instead of praising these students for their accomplishments. According to a local

survey, opponents of Affirmative Action feel that black and Hispanic students cant succeed at

selective universities since they have a lower quality of education (Quinlan 2015). However,

affirmative action helps white women more than it benefits people of color. Studies and statistics

have shown that women of color earn less college degrees than white women. In 1997, 39% of

college undergraduates were women and of that 39% only 16% where women of color,

("Affirmative Action and What It Means for Women NWLC) and based on the lack of

diversity within universities today it remains true. Therefore the claim Abigail made is

contradictory considering that she is blaming the universities affirmative action policies as the

reason why she wasnt accepted when in actuality, as a white women, it works in her favor.

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 Furthermore, Abigail Fishers argument is rooted around the concept of race. Her racial

identity is what drove her to think that she has more qualified and deserved a position at that

institution. Race is a social construct and dates back to the start of slavery. It started when the

white men and women decided to import people from Africa and call themselves their master.

The white people tortured and oppressed people of color; this was the start of the social hierarchy

that still exists today. The differentiation between the two groups is used to provide an easier way

to discriminate against the two since biologically there is no difference between ethnic groups.

The color of ones skin is used to distinguish each racial group. The use of placing people into

different racial categories is a way of establishing dominance within political, federal and state

agencies and also play an important role in the types of opportunities each racial group is given

and influences the ability to empower certain racial groups (Baker 1998, p.12). These ideologies

are rooted in our nations traditions and way of life and can be seen through the concept of white

privilege. Abigail Fisher is empowered by her beliefs in white privilege; its the social, economic

and political benefits/advantages white people have over other racial groups. This is the same

reason why Fisher felt that she should be guaranteed a spot at The University of Texas; she felt

that she is superior and more qualified to be successful at the institution in comparison to the

minority students. The need for policies like affirmative action is also due to the issues of

institutional racism. Racism is an act that enforces inequality. Institutional racism indicates the

patterns, procedures, and policies that keep those of a minority group at a disadvantage and

exploit them within social institutions and functions to reinforce white privilege in all facets of

American life, (Baker 1998, p.11). Society functions in a way that there is in not an equal

chance for non-white social groups to succeed and face discrimination. The policies in place are

set to discriminate against minority groups so that white people can remain at the top of the

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social hierarchy. Without the need for diversity policies, there would be no or very little diversity

at the top institutions.

White men and women also have better connections to higher education and high paying

jobs due to their socioeconomic status. White people have always been allowed to own property

and increase their wealth, which has added to the amount of power they have over minorities.

Wealth equals power and there is a racial wealth gap between the two groups. What contributes

to the racial wealth gap is residential segregation, which refers to the different living areas that

are homogenous, made up of one racial group. By living in wealthier neighborhoods that allow

them easier access to public transportation and access to the higher paying jobs and to better

education, which helps to keep African Americans at a lower socioeconomic and social standard,

(Shapiro 1995, p.177). White privilege and residential segregation puts young students at an

unfair advantage when it comes to socioeconomic mobility and the higher education

opportunities. Socioeconomic status ties back to this issue because wealth is associated with

class and quality of education and with each class division comes various stigmas. College is

expensive and many of the minority students cannot afford to attend, therefore through the use of

affirmative action it allows students of color a chance to be admitted based off of their skill and

disregarding their economic status. It also pushes for the need of scholarships, funding and

diversity programs within the university in order to contribute to students of colors success and

acclimation at a university.

Based on the concepts stated above it is evident that equality does exist in our society.

White privilege is embedded in our daily interactions and our way of life, which is why there is a

need for initiatives like affirmative action. There are others who share Fishers mindset and wish

to exercise their white privilege and the only way to prevent that is through inclusion. Diverse

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environments promote discussion, cultural awareness and helps to prove the capabilities of

people of a different race. The need to encourage diversity within higher education is essential

towards the progression of a society where equality is possible.

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