Carolyn C. Smith
Affirmative Action: Race and Rage
Scenario:
All Janice Cararena wanted was to attend English at the local college. She was a young student working to pay for her college tuition and the only time she could attend class was at 11 a.m.. There was a problem. She was white and the class was reserved for African-Americans. The class was for writing, career counseling and mentoring. She couldn’t sign up.
After a week Janice sued. Now she is a test case for those who want to remove any trace of racial preference in the community college system. She felt that everyone should have an equal chance to attend any class they chose regardless of the color of their skin.
Let’s Discuss The Situation
1. Define and discuss the underlined words in the situation.
2. What is affirmative action?
3. How does affirmative action help or hinder ethnic groups?
4. What would you have done if you were Janice?
5. Write a 100 word essay to explain your action.
Related Activities:
Invite some one from the community who is familiar with the rules governing affirmative action to discuss local situations such as: school choice, equal employment opportunity.
Choose a current event, investigate background information and have the students to debate their findings.
Read passages from, Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954-1965. for discussion.
