Through our study of civil rights so far, we have seen how many laws have been put into place such as the 15th Amendment: “no voting discrimination allowed based upon race" and also the 14th Amendment: “provided for equal protection under the law" and citizenship for freed slaves. All theses laws were put into place to make sure that all races have equal rights.
So, my two questions for you are: What is your view on discrimination today? Do you think that we still need to pass laws to make sure that all races get an equal right? (Think about Proposal 2)
Here is a great website that answers common questions about Proposal 2.
http://www.michigancivilrights.org/media/MCRI_FAQs.pdf
Editor's note: the following two paragraphs come from the link Emily provided above. Proposal 2 was passed by Michigan voters in November 2006, and to its supporters, it was supposed to end discrimination based upon race. To its critics, Proposal 2 would end affirmative action. The link is a pro-proposal 2 site.
"PROPOSAL 2 - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Proposal 2 will amend the Michigan Constitution by adding a new Section 26 to Article I that would prohibit state and local government from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any individual or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the areas of public employment, public contracting and public education.
What would this proposal affect?
Public employment, public education, and public contracting by the state government and all of
its subdivision -- including the state itself, any city, county, public college, university, or
community college, school district, or other political subdivision or governmental instrumentality of or within the State of Michigan."
Emily B. - 6th Hour
1 comment:
In my opinion, I think our country has come a long way from judging people based on the color of their skin and with the passing of every generation that was stereotypical and the birth of a new one that isn't, our country constantly moves towards being more diverse every day. I most certainly think we should continue to pass laws to keep rights equal, but it has to stop when you try to reimburse people and races for past suffering.
Discrimination is discrimination. You can't justify giving people more rights than another just because they received less in the past, because in doing that you are contradicting the very purpose of doing so.
You might be able to justify affirmative action if you could be exactly and positively accurate about who in all the history of our country has been discriminated against at any time, at any level. But realistically there is no way to do that. You will never be able to "make things even", so it is unfair to attempt to do so.
Sometimes I wonder if Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders would approve of things like affirmative action. After fighting so hard to make things equal for everyone, would they want to reverse that and forget everything they had fought so hard to get? It doesn't make sense to me.
Overall, I believe in the statement, "Affirmative action is a negative reaction; only racists consider race". When I apply for college in a year or so, I want them to see me for my personality traits, my ideas, and the effort I've put into high school, and not concern themselves with whether or not I'm a minority.
Jill M
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