On a level playing field
Damn it, here I am writing about race again.
In a perfect world we never would have needed affirmative action. We would never have needed black colleges or the NAACP if everyone were considered equal from the beginning.
But as we all wearily know, some of us weren’t always considered equal. Because of discrimination, blacks and other minorities didn’t have access to the same employment, housing and education opportunities as whites. Therefore, something had to be done to try and level the playing field.
The first real attempt at this leveling, which came to be called affirmative action, probably happened in 1941. That’s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order outlawing discriminatory hiring policies in defense-related industries.
Then there was Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, which outlawed segregated schools, followed by the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. All of these efforts have been good and noble attempts to level the playing field. But well after the score had already been ran up on the other side.
Now some folks believe the field has tilted the other way. It’s called “reverse discrimination,” and it’s the belief that it’s whites who are now passed over for opportunities.
That’s why Tim Asher, executive director of the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative (MoCRI), will roll into town in a week or two, carrying a petition designed to get affirmative action banned in Missouri. If the petition gets 150,000 signatures, it would put an affirmative action amendment on the November ballot. And if it passes, the amendment would prohibit discrimination against any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, or color for public employment, education or contracting. It also would prohibit preferential treatment for those same groups.
“It’s important for our government to view us all equally and to provide equal access, protection and opportunity,” Mr. Asher said in a News-Press article last week.
But few whites seem to be complaining. According to information from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, about 10 percent of race-based charges filed with their office were by whites during a five-year period between 2002 and 2007.
Now what Mr. Asher and a bunch of other people don’t understand is that whites have enjoyed the benefits of affirmative action for more than 400 years. Or, ever since that first slave stepped off the ship in Virginia in 1619.
And in that 400 years, slavery, discrimination, denial of property ownership and education greatly tilted the playing field against blacks.
No one called it affirmative action. But some knew it as privilege.
Now the score is roughly 67 years of affirmative action against 400 years of privilege.
A level field yet? I don’t think so.
Blacks are still not in the economic position to give preferential treatment to members of their own race.
With that said, we must not make the mistake in believing that discrimination and racism is the exclusive property of whites. It’s a majority thing.
If we blacks had been in the majority throughout history you can bet we would have discriminated too. That’s just how a society works.
Alonzo Weston can be reached
at alonzow@npgco.com.
This story has 5 comments. Click here to join in on the discussion.
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I'm completely amazed to see an otherwise fine contributor of the St, Joseph News Press resulting to, "score cards."
Enough is enough - the score will never be even and everyone will always feel slighted by the actions or inactions of the other. Let's all pretend for a minute to be honest people.
I'm tired of seeing BET, Black Celebrity Poker, and, "women and minorities encouraged to apply." The more we make laws distinguishing ourselves from each other the more it translates into time lost being a brother to one another.
You are correct, this isn't a perfect world - so let's stop acting like it ever was, is or will be. We have to be responsible for our own actions and move forward in a united effort, not a divided hatred.
I have never empolyed a slave and I'll be damned if I'm going to be treated as if I ever condoned it. Neither has the author, Alonzo been a slave.
I'm sorry your ancestors had to deal with slavery. I am sorry for you, the black man, I am not sorry for me.
I'm sorry my ancestors did it, and I'm not sorry for you, the black man. I'm sorry for my family of good people who see the world for what it is and not the ignorant version portrayed by ignorant men.
For the truth of the matter is we have all lost in the race war.
The fact that we're still keeping scorecards tells me we haven't learned much. Shame on you, Alonzo.
Posted by MichaelH on April 16, 2008 at 4:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)P.S. Blacks were the majority in Africa before the world expanded. And you're right, that majority did discriminate... their own people. In fact, it was the Africans that sold slaves to the Europeans. Their own people.
Now we see a young black man or woman coming of age wearing the colors of their, "home."
The moral of the story is twofold;
- Men of power did this, not the people.
- Just because our young black men and women were not present to see their people being sold by their own people doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Posted by heritage on April 16, 2008 at 8:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)alonzo, at this time i really believe that the playing field will never be leveled until this issue of affirmative action is laid to rest. do i think there are still horrible inequities? yes. the sad fact is that there is a die hard group who will never be reached, a group who will continue to feel that other races are inferior. these people will point to any advances as false, and as mandated by a law which they despise. i don't think reparation which can be reached by some magic number, or by having this law remain as it stands for 333 more years. i give blacks more credit than that!!!!!
Posted by gocubbies on April 18, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)Alonzo, you start right off the bat saying "Damn it, here I am writing about race again". It's simple, just stop. I would like to see you actually write about something that is not a race issue. You are a very intelligent man, but can you actually report on something else for a change, or can't you.
Affirmative action started off with great promise until activist took it and ran with it the wrong way. I'm tired of people receiving preferential treatment just by playing the card. The black card, the female card, etc...
I understand this society stereotypes. Unfortunately, too many people live up to that stereotype. They learn how to live off the system, making more money than I due from the taxes that I, and other hard working American pays. Then they blame me for being on the system.
There is one sure way we could get rid of affirmative action and society would be better. If people would start being responsible for their own actions. Stop blaming everyone else for your problems that you got yourself into by making bad choices.
People say they didn't have the same opportunities as I did because they're black, or poor, or a woman. I say you had the exact same opportunities as I you just didn't choice to take advantage of them. I started off a Neely Elementary, as we know one of the poorest schools in St. Joe. I turned out just fine working hard at my career supporting my family with extra at the end of the month.
People just need to take responsibility for themselves. Have a little pride and work for what you have. Stop playing the "card" and defiantly stop listening to your hypocritical, card playing ignorance that keeps these hatreds stirred up.
Learn from you past weather it be yesterday or 400 years ago so you can plan for you future.
Posted by dalearch on April 19, 2008 at 9:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)I agree that the playing field will never be level. It could get a lot closer to level if blacks would stop listening to ilk such as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and other race baiters. They make their living perpetuating the idea that blacks are victims and can’t get through life without them.
A good book called “Shakedown” by Kenneth Timmerman talks about Jesse Jackson extorting money from large corporations such as Coca Cola, Toyota, etc. by threatening to label them racist and calling for a nationwide boycott of their products. If the company agrees to “donate” millions of dollars to his “non-profit” Rainbow Push Coalition, he drops that company out of his cross hairs and moves on to the next.
In this age of political correctness being labeled a racist can be very damaging. I suspect this may be part of the reason the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission only shows 10% of white claims of racism. Sometimes people that claim to be victims of racism are actually labeled racist. Another reason is probably that whites figure they would just be wasting their time – that they won’t get anywhere with their claims. “You can’t fight City Hall”.
Take for instance illegal immigration. There are people that will label you as racist if you’re against it. It makes you want to ask these people “what part of the word “illegal” are you too stupid to understand?”.
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