Affirmative Action

Affirmative action—loosely defined as a set of policies, remedies, or requirements designed to overcome the effects of past discrimination against people of color and women—had its roots in the administration of President John F. Kennedy. It came to full flower after the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed by Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, to ban discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or gender in workplaces, schools, and other venues. Its proponents argued that proactive steps to recruit and favorably consider members of underrepresented groups for hiring, promotions, or university admissions were necessary to counter practices, overt or subtle, that once systematically hindered advancement of these groups. Critics responded that affirmative action amounted to “reverse discrimination” that privileged some at the expense of others (especially white men).

Whether voluntarily pursued or compelled by government or the courts, affirmative action operated at its zenith from 1969 to 1980 with support from all three government branches. It began to wane, however, under skepticism from President Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party, an increasingly conservative U.S. Supreme Court, and doubting voters in California and some other states. In its heyday, affirmative action helped transform university campuses and countless workplaces—including those in the news media—from enclaves of white male dominance into more integrated environments that benefited from gender equity and multicultural diversity.

Unlike affirmative action, focused on alleviating past wrongs, the concept of diversity emphasizes the advantages of multiculturalism for all—employers, employees, corporations, consumers, students, and college campuses—without much heed to the past. In a modern era more attuned to diversity than affirmative action, then, it is easy to overlook the kinds of once common discriminatory practices that led the federal government to put the teeth of affirmative action into enforcing the Civil Rights Act.