but efforts to undermine or eliminate them continue. Despite increased efforts to repeal affirmative action at the beginning of the 21st century, in 2004 the Supreme Court narrowly ruled in a 5-4 decision to uphold affirmative action policy (Curry 1). Some states have rolled back affirmative action programs.
Critics of affirmative action maintain advances in equality for marginalized groups make this public policy in contemporary times a form of reverse discrimination. Such individuals maintain minorities are often hired because of quotas related to affirmative action, in place of more qualified non-minority candidates. Merit alone should be used in hiring or admission decisions, according to this mentality. Supporters of affirmative action being continued as public policy argue that despite measurable gains for women and minorities since the inception of affirmative action, women and minorities still lag significantly behind their white male counterparts across a number of measures from compensation to promotion. As Millery Polyne (41) explains, race relations often plays a role in the shaping of affirmative action and its supporters and opponents: "One's illusions that race and gender are no longer central factors to one's access to resources and to upward mobility help silence major issues critical to the affirmative action debate." Clearly more investigation into the public policy of affirmative action empowerment programs is required to have a better understanding of the policy's benefits and its impact on U.S. society.
Despite measurable gains for marginalized populations in the U.S. since the advent of affirmative action as public policy, specifically women and African Americans, there is a long way to go before equal empowerment of all groups is the reality in American society. Many Americans and policymakers believe affirmative action is no longer necessary and can actually lead to reverse discr...