Flashback a few decades – even a century- and it will not be a surprise to hear people being turned away from schools or jobs because of someone’s race. “We don’t hire blacks” or “Help Wanted – No Irish” were common things to hear or see. There were times were Africans, Hispanics and other ethnicities were not expected to attend school.
Now look around you today. In our classroom we are surrounded by Africans, Asians, Hispanics like myself, and whites. We have a blend of cultures all around us everywhere we go and that helps us to learn and understand other ways of life. In the Supreme Court case, Brown v Board of Education, it was decided that you cannot have segregated schools. In our society today, we don’t allow people to be denied an opportunity from anything because they are of color. That is a big step forward for America.
One step forward might turn out to be two steps back. How dare the Supreme Court decided it is constitutional for a person of color to attend college when someone white is better qualified, which was done with the Supreme Court Case Grutter v Bollinger. That is reverse racism. It is my personal belief that our race should not even be marked down on college applications or job applications.
The problem today is that a college is afraid to look racist. If they have too small a percentage of a certain group, they may be called out on it. Trying to balance their numbers is not a fair way to accept students. The student with the best application should be the first acceptance choice – whether they be African, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Irish, Cuban, Mexican, Canadian, or any other culture. That is the fair way to handle things.