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Aug 4, 2003 I once heard a speech that spoke of a dream. This speech was a while ago to be sure, forty years ago, but I believe it has relevance to lives today. In this speech I heard a man talk about equality. I heard the words spoken, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." That is what I heard, this is what I did not hear: I did not hear anyone say they had a dream for the tables to be turned and the discrimination reversed; I did not hear the words "I have a dream that my four children will be admitted to college based on the color of their skin rather than their content of their character"; I didn't hear anyone say that they wanted their children to be considered less intelligent than others, or that they wanted their children easily given what others had to earn. For these reasons, I am quite sure that the speech never mentioned "affirmative action." Racial discrimination, known to some as affirmative action, was recently decided to be okay by the Supreme Court. Let me repeat that: The United States Supreme Court recently decided that it is legal to decide whether a student is accepted into college or not based partially on the color of their skin. I am horrified by that fact. Such a decision serves as a disturbing contradiction to my previous belief that we have come a long way in forty years. Call me crazy, but I think it is terrible that colleges are even allowed to ask what color your skin is, much less take it into account for admissions. Frankly, I am severely disappointed that race is considered so important in education, since what schools have taught me since childhood is that we're all people. Many years ago, my ancestors came to this country from England, Ireland, Sweden and Germany. This means that I am a blonde haired, brown eyed, white skinned girl. I recently traveled to a small village in Namibia where a little girl who was fascinated by my hair asked me where I had gotten it. My reply to her was that I was born with it, but it wasn't until after I returned home to the United States and began to read about the affirmative action debate that I truly realized what that meant, and how much of what we can't control determines our lives. It is disappointing that some children will have to work much harder in life, and that many may not get into college because of who their ancestors were. I think it is astounding that in the United States of America, where equality is preached as a value, we still discriminate on the basis of race. In addition to the fact that certain individuals are at a disadvantage because of the color of their skin, does anyone think that the idea of affirmative action is wrong because it promotes the idea that one group of people is not as good as another group? Affirmative action tells everyone that blacks and Hispanics are not as intelligent as whites and Asians, and I do not believe that is true. It is absolutely not right to tell the world that blacks aren't as good as whites, or Hispanics aren't as smart as Asians. Such divisions and disadvantages based on race can bring no good, but can only bring about a more divided and prejudiced nation. A friend of mine made a comment several weeks ago that, " A handicap will never make you better, it will only bring you down." I thought that was a very true statement, and although she was referring to a card game, it relates to affirmative action perfectly. Colleges claim that affirmative action is justified because it brings "diversity." What a shame that such a beautiful word has recently come to have such an ugly meaning as it is used to cover up racial discrimination. What a shame that such a wonderful concept has become the prime reason for increasing prejudices that this country has struggled against since the Civil War. The diversity claim brings to my mind many questions. If colleges really want diversity by having more minorities, why aren't the racial advantages extended to Asians, who are more of a minority than blacks or Hispanics? If colleges really want diversity, why am I told that it is easier to get into a college which is in your home state? Who came up with the idea that discrimination against certain groups of people will solve discrimination problems in our society? The more questions that occur to me, the more I feel that affirmative action has nothing to do with diversity and everything to do with selectivity and segregation based on skin color. Discrimination is discrimination, whether it is against whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Christians, Jews, or any other group of people. It is unfair, it is wrong and it will only enforce more strongly the lines between the races, when I believe it is more than possible to break down those lines that separate people. In that same speech that was made on August 28, 1963 the words were spoken, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it's creed: 'We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.'" I for one, am still hoping for that day to come. ------------ About the author: Natalie Amethyst is an opinionated high school sophmore who loves to write, travel, and debate politics as well as ski, horseback ride and read. She hopes loves to go all over the world and hopes to become more involved in politics as well as spend her life traveling and writing. Email Natalie: natalie3_8@hotmail.com Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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