5 Things to Know about Affirmative Action in USA
Affirmative action in its various avatars can be found in many countries. In the Unites States, it refers to equal opportunity in employment that Federal contractors and subcontractors are required to adopt legally. The whole idea of affirmative action is to prevent discrimination against employees or applicants on the basis of “color, religion, sex, or national origin when they are applying for a job. Examples of affirmative action offered by the United States Department of Labor include outreach campaigns, targeted recruitment, employee and management development, and employee support programs. Although it was started with good intentions and intends to do well, there is a lot of controversy surrounding it with people arguing that it goes against the basic tenets of the constitution. Here are some things to know about affirmative action in the USA.
1. President John.F.Kennedy was the first one to coin the term affirmative action
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925, ordering that all federally funded projects take affirmative action t provide equal employment to all employee regardless of their race, color and creed. But this was not the first time the term made an appearance. It originally appeared in the Wagner Act of 1935.
2. Affirmative action has been quite controversial when it comes to educational quotas and has been the cause of numerous court cases
Affirmative action in the country has enabled some colleges to have quotas based on points, race and financial powers. But the Supreme Court has come down hard on the point system and colleges no longer have a point system for specific races. Many consider that affirmative action is being misused by many colleges.
3. Some states such in the US actively prohibit affirmative action.
The states are California (Proposition 209), Washington (Initiative 200), Michigan (Michigan Civil Rights Initiative), and Nebraska (Nebraska Civil Rights Initiative).
