“Any child denied a good education would be unlikely to succeed in life. When a state, therefore, has undertaken to provide universal education, such education becomes a right that must be afforded equally to all, regardless of race.”
In 1954, Oliver Brown, the father of one of the children denied access to white schools in Topeka, Kansas, filed a case against the Board of Education that eventually made it to the Supreme Court. The court, making one of the greatest decisions of the 20th Century, ruled that Topeka’s racial segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The case of Brown v. Board of Education galvanised the Civil Rights Movement into a full revolution.
Civil Rights Act
Affirmative action was a policy born of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, President Lyndon Johnson’s executive order, and the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. It began as a plan to equalise the educational, employment, and contracting opportunities for minorities and women with opportunities given to their white counterparts. In its attempt to rid the US of discrimination against minorities and women, it has produced much controversy and many violent protests. In its original form, minorities and women were to receive “special consideration” in determining entrance to universities, employment hiring, and receiving federal contracts when competing with equally qualified white males. But over time, the entry scores for minorities were lowered and it became difficult for them to perform alongside the more qualified. This is wrong.
States that forbid affirmative action in higher education, like Florida, California and Michigan, have seen a significant drop in the enrollment of black and Hispanic students in their most selective colleges and universities. But their acceptance of only qualified students regardless of race gives their students a better quality education. This I agree with. On the other hand, it is discriminatory to accept white students in large numbers who are not qualified but are affiliated through large donations given to the institution by their families.
Personal experience
Affirmative action worked for me. In 1968, I was refused entrance into the electrician union that consisted of white Americans, Italians and Jews, although I passed the test I was given. Years later, I was accepted after the federal government forced the union to accept qualified minorities.
Minority parents may have to work harder, sometimes taking more than one job to ensure their children are educated so they can access quality higher education. Many qualified Caribbean Community students attending colleges in the US are finding it difficult to access advanced studies in math and science because they are only allowed to attend African-American and Hispanic institutions, which are limited in those courses. While the struggle for equal opportunities continues, minorities need to work harder to achieve a quality life.
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