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The Atlantic: why affirmative action no longer works
The Atlantic: Article " Why affirmative action no longer works"
University of Michigan students protest affirmative action outside the Supreme Court. (Molly Riley/Reuters)
Source : Wikipedia
Origins
The term "affirmative action" was first used in the United States in Executive Order 10925 and was signed by President John F. Kennedy on March 6, 1961. It was used to promote actions that achieve non-discrimination. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 which required government employers to take "affirmative action" to "hire without regard to race, religion and national origin".[clarification needed] In 1967, sex was added to the anti-discrimination list.
Purpose
Affirmative action is intended to promote the opportunities of defined minority groups within a society to give them equal access to that of the privileged majority population.[citation needed]
It is often instituted for government and educational settings to ensure that certain designated "minority groups" within a society are included "in all programs".[clarification needed] The stated justification for affirmative action by its proponents is that it helps to compensate for past discrimination, persecution or exploitation by the ruling class of a culture, and to address existing discrimination.
Tags : discrimination