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Article: Affirming affirmative action.(the book 'The Shape of the River: Long Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions,' by William Bowen and Derek Bok, seems to confirm the success of affirmative action)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
- Article from:
- The Christian Century
- Article date:
- October 28, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 The Christian Century Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE AIM OF affirmative-action programs, which give preference to blacks and other minorities in matters of employment and school admissions, is to bring underrepresented groups into the mainstream of American life. Making race an issue in this way makes sense as a provisional measure in service of a larger goal--that of creating a society in which race is not an issue.
But is affirmative action really moving us toward this goal? Lots of people have their doubts. Whites who think affirmative action is a noble idea in theory can be heard to wonder, privately at least, if it isn't counterproductive in practice, serving mainly to harden racial differences, deepen ...