Affirmative action has been one of the most polarizing social issues in America for decades. Many consider it to be a positive component of the admissions process. However, the program does not fulfill its goals of assisting students in need, curbing discrimination and promoting diversity. Instead of race-based affirmative action, I propose a class-based approach.
First, I must lament the decision by which my position was just institutionalized. The Supreme Court’s ruling may be in line with my stance on paper, but much of the opposition to racialized affirmative action does not make any proposals for a better system to address the gaping inequalities that remain.
It is important to understand the case for race-based affirmative action in its strongest form. The basic argument was put into words 60 years ago by a man whose words are now dishonestly used to oppose affirmative action — Martin Luther King, Jr.
“A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro,” King said.
It’s difficult to argue this point. The generational impact of explicitly racist policy has lingered since King made that statement. Racism, albeit less widespread than in the 1960s, remains intact, whether it be in the hiring process, the justice system or everyday life.
The reality of race-based affirmative action does not seem to be particularly effective in achieving the goal King lays out.
Ideally, a race-based affirmative action program would assist those most affected by past and current discrimination. Most likely, the program would be designed to assist Black people, specifically descendants of enslaved Americans, of low socioeconomic status. Yet the schools most likely to have affirmative action programs are typically the most selective and prestigious. As a result, the individuals who benefit most from racialized affirmative action would be more likely to be of high socioeconomic status, as economically privileged students are the most likely to have the educational background necessary to have a chance at gaining admission to those schools.
In addition, the colleges that are most selective and most likely to have affirmative action often see a substantial proportion of their students being African immigrants. Thus, even the most targeted racialized program struggles to assist the demographic that MLK identified as suffering most from historical discrimination.
It cannot be denied that racialized affirmative action does increase diversity. However, this is only half the story. To increase the share of Hispanic and Black students, colleges discriminate against white and especially Asian students. Not only that, but having a lower standard for affirmative action beneficiaries also results in higher dropout rates for those students. Greater diversity is not a sufficiently desirable goal if it comes at the cost of the students it proclaims to help in addition to discriminating against other students, particularly minorities.
Taken together, the results of racialized affirmative action do not suggest the program is effective at addressing the legacy of racism or promoting diversity without heavy costs. It is a way colleges can appear to be addressing racism without addressing the economic roots.
In spite of race-based affirmative action being unhelpful in the final analysis, it needs an effective replacement. Class-based affirmative action would be much better at addressing each issue affirmative action seeks to solve while avoiding some of the weaknesses of race-based affirmative action.
The proposal for class-based affirmative action sounds similar to that for race-based affirmative action. This nation has obvious systemic barriers to individuals of low socioeconomic status, who are disproportionately Black and Hispanic. This program would be used when two similarly qualified candidates apply to the same institution. The admissions officer should strongly favor the candidate of lower socioeconomic status, as that candidate would almost certainly have needed to come much further to have a chance at top tier American universities.
The program would, first and foremost, do more than racialized affirmative action to assist applicants most affected by the legacy of economic racism. Currently, an incredibly small proportion of Harvard applicants come from the bottom 20%, while over two-thirds are from the top 20%. The demographics that benefit from current affirmative action at these universities are, as a result, among the wealthiest Americans, regardless of race.
Finally, a more diverse campus would still be fostered, this time without direct racialized discrimination. Coupled with being less polarizing than racialized affirmative action, implementing it on a class basis could be the start of a belated bipartisan plan to secure an economic base for all disadvantaged students in the United States.
I have faith that most Americans value freedom, and equality. I believe that in spite of increasing polarization, most Americans are capable of coming together to address injustices in the past and present.
