The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on the constitutionality of affirmative action. This potentially landmark decision is expected to respond to a lawsuit challenging affirmative action which was originally filed on behalf of a white woman. Abigail Fisher claims that she was denied admission to the University of Texas because she is white, reports Time.com. Naba’a Richard Muhammad, Editor of the award-winning The Final Call newspaper provided information on the expected Supreme Court ruling via twitter @RMFinalCall.
Fisher and other women weren’t even included in the initial affirmative action legislation that attempted to level the playing field for blacks, historically denied education and employment opportunities. First signed into law in 1961 by executive order of President Kennedy, the initial affirmative action law required that federal contractors “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”
In 1967, amid widespread civil unrest termed “The Long Hot Summer of 1967”, blacks protested lack of opportunities, slum housing and injustice. The U.S. government responded with specific measures targeting Blacks. President Johnson amended affirmative action to include sex. Thus, he opened the door for white women to benefit. In 1995, 6 million women, the majority of whom were white, received jobs they would not have otherwise been qualified for.
Study after study reveals the ineffectiveness of affirmative action to remedy racial disparities and its disproportionate benefit to white women. “Black workers still earn, on average, 35 percent less than white workers in the same job”. White households median income is 20 times higher than that of black households. As for Fisher, the University of Texas did admit students with lower scores than Fisher. 42 of those students were white, and only 5 were black or Latino.
