My Stand On Affirmative Action Essay Research

My Stand On Affirmative Action Essay, Research Paper

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Nick DiLorenzo

Professor William Clyburn

CROSS CULTURAL COMUNICATION

11 May, 2000

MY STAND ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

When I began to collect research for my term paper, I was sure what to focus on. Every time I visited a medical facility, I noticed a color line separating the health care professionals. It seemed apparent to me that the majority of orderlies were African American and the majority of the doctors and nurses were Caucasian. I believed this was the case because of prejudice in the human resource department. I felt, especially here in Sarasota a very segregated community, that African Americans were not getting the same opportunities as their Caucasian counter parts. With this thought in mind, I proceeded to interview the director of a local mental health facility. With a pen and pad of paper in hand I proceeded to probe the inner most depths of this racially instigated problem. What I found was equal hire for equal skills. According to this head of staff, it did not matter if the candidate was black, white, green or purple; the best person was hired for the job. So why was it that so many of the lower educationally demanding positions was filled by African Americans. That is when it hit me like a ton of lead. EDUCATION is the essential factor in all of this. This revelation led to many other questions. For instance, why do more whites

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attend college than blacks. Why do more blacks that attend college drop out than whites. Why do those blacks that finish college have lower grade point averages.

In the pages to follow I will attempt to explain why this situation is the way it is today. I will attempt to walk in the shoes of the people who live with this mystery, the black college student.

Over the past four decades, African American College students have been in the spotlight more than any other American student has. This is because they are not just students any longer but they are the governments attempting to make up for so many years of horrible treatment spurned on by racial bias. The government has instituted programs such as affirmative action, which allows minorities an equal chance to get a good education in elite schools that they probable would not have the chance to attend. Nonetheless, the national college drop out rate among blacks students in the 1990’s is 20 to 25 percent higher than whites. Among those that finish college, their grade point average is two thirds lower than of whites. Why. One reason may be society itself. Do we automatically lower are standards when it comes to black students. Too much coddling and handholding in order to make ourselves feel better. Alternatively, does society not do enough, neglecting them to the point of failure. On the other hand, is it the black culture itself. Poor motivation, lack of family and community support, economic deprivation. In recent years, society has come to view the middle class black family as not being deprived because of race. Why should a son of a doctor be taken over a poor truck drivers son simply because he

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is black. This is a big question in the case of affirmative action. With all the opportunities afforded the black student, why the low-test scores and the high drop out rates.

Claude M.Steele, a professor at Stanford University, in his article Thin Ice

“Stereotype Threat” and Black College Students, describes the threat of being viewed through the lens of a negative stereotype, or the fear of doing something that would inadvertently confirm that stereotype as the main reason for below average results. He goes on in his article to describe a verbal test given to both black and white students measuring ability. The results were dramatically different favoring the white students. His explanation is in matters of race we often assume that when a situation is objectively the same for different groups, it is experienced the same way by each group. This might especially seem true with standardized cognitive testing. However, for black students, difficulty with the test makes the negative stereotype relevant as an interpretation of their performance and of them. They know that right away they are perceived as having limited ability. When groups are not stereotyped the way they do not experience the extra intimidation. Something other than ability was involved and Steele feels it is the negative stereotype threat.

However, what about motivation or maybe the black students skills were less than the white students were. Steele then reasoned if the intimidation factor was lessened then the results would be different. Again, they brought black and

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white students together only this time the test was said to have no bearing on ability. As if someone turned of William Cross’s anxiety spotlight the black students scores rose to meet their white counterparts. This one simple instruction had a profound change on the meaning of the situation. Steele contends with black students negative stenotypes apply in many situations, even personal ones. Why did that person treat me that way. Why did the white girl not return my telephone calls. Is it because of race or something else about him. He cannot fully dismiss the question and this raises even deeper ones,

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