Racial Tensions

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Racial Tensions

For Democracy to truly thrive there must be equal opportunity and an equal distribution of hope for all people. A myth that underpins American culture is that we live in a land where success is based on merit, and differences in wealth is due to the differences in ambition and ability. Each individual has equal opportunity obtain an educational foundation that will provide social mobility, self-improvement and self-awareness. Lastly each individual will live without the pains of discrimination and will have the freedom to pursue their dreams. If this American myth is true, do we still need legislation such as Affirmative Action?
Since the birth of this country, there has also been the issue of racial discrimination. We have made progress since the days of slavery and segregation, but animosity towards a universal acceptance of all races still exist. Today in America, white males occupy most managerial positions, and corporate market institutions have a disproportionate amount of capital, power and influence on how society is run and how culture is shaped. (p25, Race Matters) After the United States Congress passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, it became apparent that certain business traditions, such as seniority status and aptitude tests, prevented total equality in employment. In 1965 the U.S. government believed that employers were discriminating against minorities and that action must be taken to try to bring equality back into the marketplace. On September 24, 1965, President, Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order #11246 at Howard University that required federal contractors “to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed . . . without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin (Civil Rights).” When Lyndon Banes Johnson signed that order, he enacted one of the most controversial pieces of legislation. Affirmative action was created in an effort to help minorities leap the discriminative barriers that are present in this country. In a statement released in 1981 by the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Jack P. Hartog, who directed the project, said: Only if discrimination were nothing more than the misguided acts of a few prejudiced individuals would affirmative action plans be “reverse discrimination.” Only if today’s society were operating fairly toward minorities and women would measures that take race, sex, and national origin into account be “preferential treatment.” Only if discrimination...

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