The Third Law: Thoughts on Affirmative Action in Higher Education

Newton's third law of motion states that for every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction. This principle remains true not only in science class, but in society as well. Hit a racecar from one direction and it will roll the opposite way. You are a force, acting upon the car. Likewise, forces act upon society. For instance, the force of centuries of oppression, predjudice, and discrimination has acted upon minorites. It has limited their educational, employment, and housing opportunities (amoung others), and has generally made life more difficult than it would be had they been born white. If Newton's third law holds true, then racism and discrimination must have an opposite. This is white privilege. We hardly notice it, but as anti-racist activist Tim Wise points out in his article "Whites Swim In Racial Preference," the notion of preferential bias  "has actually had a very long and very white history." Wise observes that, like fish in water, whites survive and thrive in racial preference and are almost entirely unaware. "We strike the pose of self-sufficiency while ignoring the advantages we have been afforded in every realm of activity"(Wise). While whites soak up the opportunity, minorities are often left high and dry. However, as soon as some modicum of preference (affirmative action) is shown to minorities, large numbers of white individuals rally to eliminate it, proclaiming such statements as "If I had only been black I would have gotten into my first choice college" (Wise). This is foolish, as whites are competing more with other whites than with minority students. Affirmative action, like University of Michigan's policies  merely attempts to counteract centuries of racism, not to promote reverse-racism. What many whites have deemed discriminatory preference towards minority students is merely what they have received their entire lives, due to white privilege.
While caught in this mindset, it is little surprise that many whites do not even realize the benefits of having racially and ethnically diverse universities. The Supreme Court, however, has outlined these benefits clearly in the Bakke case. The opinion of The Court was that "reducing the historic deficit of traditionally disfavored minorities. . . countering the effects of social discrimination, increasing the number of physicians who will practice in communities currently underserved, and obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body" are all worthy, substantial reasons for enacting some kind of affirmative action policy. Affirmative action and diversity serve a state interest: to promote equality of care and opportunity, and to improve the education of all by adding the unique perspectives minorities bring to institutions. Not only do white students benefit from affirmative action, it also does not hurt their chance (as so many would believe) of being accepted into a school. In the Bakke case, The Court notes with particular emphasis that "race or ethnic background may be deemed a 'plus' in a particular applicant's file, yet it does not insulate the individual from comparison with all other candidates for the available seats." Thus, affirmative action (that "plus") does not allow minority students who are under-qualified to be admitted in the place of qualified whites. Instead, it acknowledges the benefits that qualified minority students could bring to campus and takes them into account in the admissions process. In the article "Appeals court to hear affirmative action challenge," Proposition 209 (which bans the use of affirmative action in California schools), is being fought against. The Court has recently, with its decision on the Michigan Law School case, acknowledged the benefits of affirmative action, and must now reconsider the validity of Proposition 209. While opponents of the reconsideration and affirmative action would argue that the best way to promote equality is to ignore the race, ethnicity, and sex of applicants, the information above clearly states otherwise. If the nation's schools ignore affirmative action, ignore race, ignore the powerful force of centuries of hatred and discrimination, then not only will minority applicants lose opportunities, but so will the universities, communities, and states themselves. If we, as a nation, wish to correct the wrongs of our past, we must act affirmatively to do so. Equality cannot be achieved while racism and white privilege continue to be ingrained into society.  By exerting a force, by employing affirmative action in higher education, the nation can take a massive leap out of its rut of bias and preference and climb towards true equality.