Race and its position in American society is a controversial issue that hasn’t faded much out of the spotlight. The United States has historically been at the center of race driven prejudice in regards to slavery, segregation, and internments to name a few. With such an extensive chronicle of injustice inflicted upon various groups of minorities, the United States has found it necessary to make reparations on behalf of its previous generations of mistakes. A few of the earliest forms of action taken by the government included the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246, and the Philadelphia Order. After the official end of discrimination concerning race, color, religion and national origin, a wave of judicial, political, and societal concern for affirmative action arose as a divisive issue in American society.

Affirmative action is a broad term that is susceptible to various interpretations. The definition that will be used for the purposes of this discussion will be the implementation of government programs in order “to overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women.” By “leveling the playing field,” many believe that minorities will gain educational as well as career oriented opportunities that are generally limited to white access. The discussion here will emphasize affirmative action in the realm of higher education. In our most prestigious universities across the United States, certain methods of affirmative action are or have been in place in order to heighten minority enrollment. The question of whether or not this is an acceptable standard will be analyzed through pertinent current event issues as well as statistical data and previous landmark decisions.