Affirmative Action for Poor Whites??

We all know there are many public figures that have spoken out for or against affirmative action, there are organizations trying to bring an end to affirmative action, and there are organizations trying to maintain it and reinstitute it where necessary.  Thinking about all this, I thought, what about us, the students? We are a majority group affected by affirmative action.  So what are the students thoughts on the programs that give preferential treatment to certain groups based on race, national origin and gender.  I decided to interview students at the University of Michigan to find out their perspectives on the issue.  What I found over and over was that many students alluded to one thing: affirmative action should be transformed into a policy used to resolve economic issues rather than racial ones.  In other words, many seem to believe that affirmative action based on socio-economic status is the race-neutral alternative that we should be considering.  So I questioned, is this realistic?

Affirmative action was established to take “positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).  We must examine this idea, to consider whether the notion of affirmative action based on economic standing would abide by the same principles that affirmative action based on race, gender and national origin does.  Many argue that affirmative action gives advantages to certain people who are not in need, simply based on their race or origin, and denies poor whites any assistance despite their economic disadvantage.

Phil is a history major at the University of Michigan who identifies as white and hispanic.  He states, “I believe that affirmative action should be replaced by affirmative action policies and legislation aimed at creating equal opportunity, based NOT on race but on income. I believe that this will help alleviate racial tension in society, lead to a more integrated society and stop the devaluation of minority achievement. Moreover, affirmative action based on poverty, rather than race, will still in reality give help to minorities in need and thus in many ways can be seen as having a similar effect to affirmative action.”  According to Phil’s argument, because minorities find themselves at an economic disadvantage, creating a policy of affirmative action that would provide aid or advantage based on income rather than race, would still help minorities but would also help poor whites, and would remove the stigma of the minority student who is a “product of affirmative action.”

So could this really work? Could the idea of giving affirmative action advantages based on income rather than race still achieve the goals that affirmative action looks to do?  Well in theory, the minorities who are at an economic disadvantage would still receive the benefits needed to help them rise in society.  However, unlike affirmative action as is now, this would also greatly benefit poor whites, who although part of the majority group still suffer the strife of lack of opportunity.

Ellen a student at the University of Michigan who identifies as white says, “the rights of each individual are more important than the rights of groups, not every minority experiences disadvantages, and many whites do.  Therefore, ignoring the struggles of certain white individuals, and granting all minorities advantages based on their race, gender, or national origin does not uphold equal rights for all.  I understand that many minorities are at a disadvantage, but what about poor whites, they do not fit the cap of a race desirable to increase diversity, nor do they reap the benefits of wealth and opportunity.  So what about them?”

It’s an interesting idea, the elimination of a race divide.  What would this mean about the divide of class?  If we were to give individuals preference based on income, would that fix the race divide, but as a result create a more fragmented America segregated by class?

How would grouping people based on economic standing affect how we look at race, would race become irrelevant as wealth become a more prominent factor by which people were viewed?

In theory, it does indeed sound like a great idea.  But that would only be true if we lived in a racial democracy where there was no racism.  If we eliminated affirmative action based on race, origin or gender, and instead implemented affirmative action based on income, it could hurt minorities.  The reason for this is that affirmative action helps assure that minorities are given equal opportunity and are not discriminated against due to society’s prejudices about race.  Implementing an affirmative action policy based on income, would assure minorities in need were considered.  When compared to their equivalent white counterparts, however, we could not ensure that unconscious biases would not come in to play and result in hurting the opportunities of minorities in need.

Anne a student at the University of Michigan who identifies as white says, “affirmative action based on income would not work.  We like to think we are past racism but we are not.  Our country’s history of racism makes this idea implausible, minorities are looked over everyday and looked down upon and affirmative action is the only thing assuring that, legally, they are giving the opportunities they deserve.  Poor whites do not suffer these stigmas, and if a policy such as this were implemented, minority representation would decrease and the representation of the white majority, rich or poor, would increase”

So is the idea of affirmative action based on income rather than race plausible?  I do not think that is the case, not yet.  I believe that our country is making strides towards diminishing racism, but not yet removing it.  Affirmative action based on income would only work if there were not biases, conscious or unconscious that could hurt minorities when being compared to their equivalent white counterparts.  Maybe someday we will have reached an America that we can see as non racist and without prejudice, if that happens, then we can say everyone is equal and therefore equally disadvantaged.

Yanet Zepeda