Wow! The affirmative
action article has so many things to address that I am finding it hard to
choose which area to focus on.
I do, however, find myself very interested in the comment
from “Education Black Woman (LE)” and totally agree that it is unfortunate that
still today nearly 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education we still
have to consider race in the college admissions process. It is something that must still take place
though in order to keep the wheels of diversity moving in a forward
direction. As a nation, we simply have
not arrived at that point yet. The
points she makes regarding the current diversity of the University are very
good.
I agree with the author of The Daily Texan’s article when he
states, “Ideally, we would like to reach a state where society does not judge
its members based on the color of their skin but rather on the content of their
character, as Martin Luther King Jr. said. If he could only see how his speeches are
being interpreted and where the direction of racial equality is going in our
nation today, he would surely be rolling in his grave.” However, I do not agree for the same
reasons! Yes, ideally, it would be
wonderful to reach a state where a person is judged by their character and not
by the color of their skin, but let’s face it, that is simply not the case
today. And, if Martin Luther King, Jr.
is rolling over in his grave because of the “direction of racial equality is
going in our nation today,” it would be because he cannot believe that still
today there is still the need to consider race because if it is not a factor
minorities would continued to be a disenfranchised group.
As our small group discussed with Dr. Gilbert in class on
Thursday, educational equality and availability of resources starts at the
grade school level, well before the college level. How can minority students entering college be
prepared for success if the first 13 years of their education have not provided
them with the resources to succeed? This is a complex and multi-faceted issue,
one that would could probably spend an entire semester digging through!
I agree with the way you interpreted the quote he used from Martin Luther King Jr. I also agree that one pro in regard to affirmative action is that minorities are not provided with enough resource in middle and high school to where academic merit allow can be used for admission process. I also see the notion of white privilege play a big role in his interpretation of society today in regards to race.
ReplyDeleteJulie you are right, Dr. Martin Luther King would be rolling over in his grave, for all the lives lost in the fight for equality and yet in 2012 there still exist the evil face of racism. Yet the fight must continue to see that our grandchildren and great grandchildren will have that equality that they deserve.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well about Martin Luther King would be rolling over in his grave and I am sadly losing hope that this issue of racism will be resolved anytime soon. I hope to teach my future kids and have this conversation with them and open their eyes and have them not carry on this horrible legacy the people of this land have given me, maybe that is my solution.
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