Barack Obama's Rise Has Americans Debating Whether Affirmative Action Has Run Its Course

The Wall Street Journal

Fair Enough?
Barack Obama's Rise Has Americans Debating Whether Affirmative Action Has Run Its Course
By JONATHAN KAUFMAN
June 14, 2008; Page A1

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Few issues have been as incendiary in the workplace and on college campuses as affirmative action -- in large part because so many blacks and whites have been personally affected by affirmative action, in ways both good and bad. Now, Sen. Obama's rise is prompting some whites to ask -- and some blacks to fear -- the question: Does America still need affirmative action, given that an African-American has made it to the top of American politics?

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White anger over affirmative action has diminished as the Supreme Court has systematically narrowed the scope of programs in colleges and the workplace. Still, the gap between black and white opinion remains wide. More than half of blacks -- 57% -- say the country should make "every effort to improve the position of blacks and minorities, even if it means giving preferential treatment," according to a poll conducted last year by the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan Washington think tank that studies social attitudes. Just 27% of whites agree with that view. The same poll shows that nearly half of whites -- 48% -- believe the U.S. has "gone too far in pushing equal rights in this country." Far fewer African Americans -- 27% -- agree. Opinions about affirmative action vary depending on how researchers word their questions; support tends to grow, for example, when the question describes the programs in more detail. But the Gallup polling firm says that regardless of the wording, all of its surveys on affirmative action show blacks overwhelmingly support it, while whites tend to be much more divided.

Sen. Obama's success has also stirred an uncomfortable debate within the black community over who has reaped the gains of affirmative action. Some argue the policies skew toward middle-class blacks instead of poor blacks, and have favored too many individuals like Sen. Obama -- people with a biracial background or the children of African and Caribbean immigrants, as opposed to blacks born in the U.S. In a 2000 interview with the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Sen. Obama, then an Illinois state senator, said: "I have no way of knowing if I was a beneficiary of affirmative action either in my admission to Harvard or my initial election to the Review. If I was, then I am certainly not ashamed of the fact, for I would argue that affirmative action is important precisely because those who benefit typically rise to the challenge when given an opportunity." Sen. Obama's newfound prominence has also prompted some successful blacks to wonder whether his achievements, and theirs, mean affirmative action should be modified to help poor and working-class whites.

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Many economists and sociologists agree that affirmative-action programs have helped spur the growth of the black middle and upper classes, defined as households making more than $40,000 a year. Today, this group accounts for about 40% of black households, up from about 25% in 1970, according to U.S. Census figures. During that same period, the percentage of white households in the middle class and above has risen to about 60%, from just under 50%. Affirmative action policies have helped blacks gain access to large corporations and top universities, studies have shown, and the presence of blacks in these places has encouraged others to follow. The number of African Americans at the country's top 50 colleges and universities has doubled in recent decades, according to Harry Holzer, a Georgetown University economist. Women have benefited, too, especially in the 1970s and 1980s, when they began breaking into traditionally male-dominated fields.

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In conversations, many white blue-collar and middle-class workers in Macomb County said they blame competition from China, India and elsewhere for their job losses, not competition from blacks. But the economic battering that many poor and working-class whites have taken as Michigan's auto industry has shrunk makes some whites feel that it's their turn for a leg up.

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The success of some Black people does not mean
that affirmative action is passe.

I hope that Obama's position doesn't afford an
excuse to make America a meaner, more bigoted
nation with the feel good notion that everything
must be OK because a few Blacks have position and
power.

Sue

That was my biggest worry too. I know the moment he becomes president plenty of people will be announcing that racism is over.

Uhh... no.

Are the majority of Americans now Irish-Americans? Alternatively, should every effort be made to improve the position of blacks, Irish-Americans, and other minorities? After all, the mere fact that some American Presidents were Irish-Americans doesn't prove that there is no need to improve the position of Irish-Americans.

Edited to move comma

We are not sure just how much it has helped. The rise in the black middle class from 25% to 40% could be due to a lot of factors, such as more equal opportunity with the passage of civil rights laws, as well as a generally improving economy that saw the standard of living for Americans in general increase.

Personally, I think they should vastly increase educational programs and anti-poverty programs aimed at improving the lives of the poorest Americans in this country. It would have the same effect as affirmative action based on race by disproportionally helping those who are disproportionally poor, without having to play with fire and use a form of "well-meaning" institutionalized racism, something that I believe has definitely only hurt race relations in this country.

They should also increase spending for education period, this alone would do more than affirmative action ever could.

Affirmative action based on income sounds like a good idea to me. I understand the thought process behind racial affirmative action, but why not use a policy that doesn't invoke race to solve the same problem?

Help should be targeted at poor black people and poor white people, not at poor black people and rich black people.

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