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Sep 5, 2024 · affirmative action, in the United States, an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and for women.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Affirmative action in the United States is the active effort to improve employment, educational, and other opportunities for members of groups that...
- Affirmative action in the United States protects people on the grounds of race, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, and...
- As a government remedy in the United States, affirmative action has been the subject of numerous legal challenges that have determined where and ho...
- Affirmative action was initiated during U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration in the 1960s. The federal government instituted affirmati...
- The term affirmative action was coined during the administration of U.S. President John F. Kennedy by Hobart Taylor, Jr., a Black attorney. Taylor...
Affirmative action was introduced through the Employment Equality Act, 55 in 1998, 4 years after the end of apartheid. This act was passed to promote the constitutional right of equality and exercise true democracy.
Affirmative Action refers to proactive measures taken by organisations or governments to ensure equal opportunity for historically marginalised groups. It aims to address past and present discrimination by implementing policies that promote diversity and inclusion.
- Executive Order 10925
- Civil Rights Act
- Executive Order 11246
- MBE Certification
- Regents of The University of California v. Bakke
- Impact of Affirmative Action
- Grutter v. Bollinger
- Supreme Court Restricts Use of Affirmative Action
- Sources
Affirmative action in its current form began in 1961, but the concept has existed in the United States since at least the early 20th century. In 1941, for example, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, which forced defense contractors "to provide for the full and equitable participation of all workers in defense industries, w...
Following the assassination of Kennedy, Johnson as president remained committed to civil rights, and in 1964 signed the landmark Civil Rights Act, which, among other things, prohibited segregation in public spaces and employment discrimination by all companies with more than 15 employees. The Act also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commis...
Johnson took another bold step toward full civil rights in 1965 by issuing Executive Order 11246, which prohibits all federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminatory practices in the hiring, firing, training and recruitment of employees. Initially protecting employees based on their race, color, religion and national origin, Executive Or...
Further advances in affirmative action were made during the administration of President Richard Nixon, who in 1971 directed federal agencies to develop plans for a national Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) contracting program to support businesses owned and staffed by members of minority groups. The MBE program has now been expanded to include wo...
Affirmative action was not universally welcomed, especially by more conservative politicians and members of society, including trade unions. The Nixon-era Philadelphia Planof 1967, an effort to include more nonwhite union workers on federal construction jobs, met with vehement opposition from unions but nonetheless withstood numerous legal challeng...
During the administration of President Ronald Reagan—who was no fan of government assistance programs—the U.S. Department of Laborcommissioned a study that found just how effective affirmative action programs were. The study confirmed that minority employment among federal contractors between 1974 and 1980 rose by 20 percent, and by 15 percent amon...
In 2003, another Supreme Court decision—Grutter v. Bollinger—found that the University of Michigan Law School did not violate the U.S. Constitutionby considering the race of its applicants, provided that other factors were considered during the admissions process, and there was no quota system influencing admissions. The same year, another Supreme ...
In 2022, the Supreme Court again heard arguments in a pair of cases regarding college admissions—this time, however, the cases were brought on behalf of a minority group seeking to exclude race as a factor in admissions decisions. Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), an advocacy group composed largely of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, filed...
The Changing Meaning of Affirmative Action. The New Yorker. History of Executive Order 11246. U.S. Department of Labor. Affirmative Action Policies Throughout History. American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity. Affirmative Action. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. A Brief History of Affirmative Action. University of California, Irvin...
Jul 28, 2024 · Affirmative action refers to a policy aimed at increasing workplace and educational opportunities for people who are underrepresented in various areas of our society. It focuses...
- Will Kenton
Nov 19, 2014 · Definition of Affirmative Action. Noun. The practice of improving employment and educational opportunities for members of minority groups, including those discriminated against because of their sex, race, color, or religion. Origin.
Jun 29, 2023 · Broadly speaking, affirmative action refers to policies and practices designed to increase opportunities for historically underrepresented groups. This week, the phrase is...
