Affirmative Action Works - National Perspective

Affirmative Action Works

National Perspective

President Clinton
White House Initiative on Race
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Data

President Clinton

In his address on affirmative action in the Rotunda of the National Archives on July 19, 1995, President Bill Clinton said, "For an example of where the best of our future lies, just think about our space program and the stunning hook-up with the Russian space station. That program, the world's finest, began with heroes like Alan Shepard and Senator John Glenn, but today it's had American heroes like Sally Ride, Ellen Ochoa, Leroy Child, Guy Bluford, and other outstanding, completely qualified women and minorities.

"How did this happen? Fundamentally, because we opened our hearts and minds and changed our ways. But not without pressure--the pressure of court decisions, legislation, executive action, and the power of examples in the public and private sectors. Along the way, we learned that laws alone do not change society; that old habits and thinking patterns are deeply ingrained and die hard; that more is required to really open the doors of opportunity. Our search to find ways to move more quickly to equal opportunity led to the development of what we now call affirmative action.

"The purpose of affirmative action is to give our nation a way to finally address the systemic exclusion of individuals of talent on the basis of their gender or race from opportunities to develop, perform, achieve, and contribute. Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic approach to open the doors of education, employment, and business development opportunities to qualified individuals who happen to be members of groups that have experienced longstanding and persistent discrimination."

White House Initiative on Race

Speaking in June 1997 at the commencement of the University of California, San Diego, President Clinton initiated the concept of a national dialogue on race relations. Toward that end he formed a stellar panel that had as its charge the task of conducting candid conversations on U.S. race relations, examining ways to expand educational and employment opportunities, and building communities of mutual respect within our increasingly diverse democracy. The advisory panel, chaired by noted scholar Dr. John Hope Franklin, helped educate the American people on issues of race, promoted a dialogue in every community, encouraged leaders to bridge the racial divides, and recommended solutions to racial problems.

The advisory panel held a roundtable discussion on the value of diversity in higher education at the University of Maryland. Several college presidents, faculty, and other campus officials participated in the discussion of the research on what works on campus, methods for promoting diversity in higher education, and the importance of civil rights data collection and enforcement.

In September 1998, after a year-long series of town meetings, the Advisory Board concluded its work and presented its recommendations to President Clinton. The report, One America in the 21st Century: Forging a New Future, gave members of the Advisory Board an opportunity to share with the President their observations on what they saw and heard about race and its impact upon communities throughout the country. The board report also offered recommendations on specific steps that should be taken to eliminate racial disparities experienced by people of color in such areas as employment, housing, law enforcement, and education.

Pathways to One America in The 21st Century: Promising Practices for Racial Reconciliation, a subsequent report released by the Advisory Board in January 1999, is a reference guide of race-based programs. "Promising Practices" are defined as efforts or programs intended to increase awareness of racial issues; improve the lives of individuals who are affected by past and present discrimination; or eliminate racial prejudice and discrimination from societal institutions such as workplaces, schools, and retail institutions. These programs demonstrate what leaders at all levels of public and private life can do when they commit themselves to finding the common good across racial lines. Although this publication highlights only a fraction of the community efforts working towards improving race relations, they serve as examples of effective programs contributing to this country's ongoing dialogue on racial reconciliation.

Colin Powell
Another national figure who supports affirmative action is Colin Powell. Living in segregated Alabama in the 1960s, Powell experienced discrimination. "I can remember very well being denied access to a lunch counter. Racism still corrodes America." He admits that he was helped by affirmative action and believes that government has a role, however limited, in giving minorities special consideration.

Vernon Jordan
Vernon Jordan, former president of the National Urban League, said in 1986: "Affirmative action is first and foremost a legitimized constitutional remedy for past discrimination. It is a remedy in keeping with the basic principle that where there is a constitutional violation, there must be a remedy appropriate in scope to that violation."

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Data

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is responsible for the enforcement of equal employment opportunity programs that apply to government contractors and subcontractors. As a condition of their government contract, federal contractors and subcontractors are subject to the laws of antidiscrimination and are required to take positive steps to ensure that minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans have an equal opportunity to compete for employment. Approximately 22 percent of the labor force (26 million workers) in America work for federal contractors or subcontractors. The federal government awarded more than $161 billion involving 176,000 contracts in Fiscal Year 1993. According to data from the OFCCP, the number of debarments of federal contractors and back pay awards has increased during the more vigilant Clinton administration. Five federal contractors have been debarred since 1992. OFCCP obtained salary adjustments for 4.3 million people in 1994, compared with about 1 million in 1991. Some of the main infringements found in OFCCP reviews are: