Affirmative action and the diversity dilemma

Kendi, director of the Boston University Center of Antiracist Research, told CBS News, "If we as a nation are serious about creating equity and justice, we have to institute programs that have been proven to create more equity in our schools, in our colleges, and our workplaces." He added, "Affirmative action programs in education have been demonstrated to increase diversity and increase access specifically for underrepresented groups."CBS News spoke with individuals about their thoughts and experiences with affirmative action. Affirmative action side steps that entirely and helps people like me, who frankly didn't really need the help."Even with affirmative action, a 2017 New York Times analysis of data from the National Center for Education Statistics found Black and Hispanic students were more underrepresented at top colleges in 2017 than almost 40 years ago.A 2019 Pew Research Center survey found 73% of Americans believe colleges and universities should not consider race or ethnicity when making decisions about student admissions. "The way the conversation is framed is if you're for affirmative action, you're pro-Black people, and if you're against it, you're pro-White people." Hughes said. "Recognizing that my family experienced pretty intense discrimination, harassment, and systemic inequalities, I felt really mixed and confused about what this policy was about." Poon's academic research focuses on racial politics, college access, higher education organization, and affirmative action policy.