By Sajia Hall
The Daily Cardinal
Mike Clutterbuck entirely missed the point in his Nov. 7 editorial, Affirmative action open to debate with Obama.""
Affirmative action attempts to counter the inherent disadvantages minorities face in our society, whether it is access to education, healthcare or employment. Clutterbuck argued that President-elect Obama, an extraordinary individual who also happens to be black, succeeded through ""[dedication] and hard work alone."" Therefore, he concludes, affirmative action is unnecessary because racial and ethnic disparities, ranging from the achievement gap to incarceration rates, are caused by ""bad grades and no work ethic.""
On average, blacks are six times more likely to go to prison, have median salaries 35 percent lower than whites, and are twice as likely to be unemployed. If there's no social cause, if we truly live in a ""post-racial"" world, then blacks must simply be born 50 percent lazier, 35 percent less dedicated to their jobs and with six times the criminal tendencies of whites. Either that - or there are other forces at work.
America is enamored with the idea that someone can come from any background, whether it be the inner-city ghetto or a comfortable suburb, and with persistence and dedication, achieve their dreams - even if that dream is to be president.
Obama's election is a historic moment, not just for blacks but for the United States as a whole. It shows that we have progressed tremendously in the past 50 years; after all, only 50 years ago, segregation was legal and open discrimination was the norm.
However, Obama's story is not the story of a black man succeeding solely through hard work and dedication. Certainly there was plenty of that, but Obama also had tremendous advantages which the average person, much less the average black person, does not.
His grandmother, who raised him from the age of 10, was the vice president of the Bank of Hawaii. Today, bank vice presidents make $100,000 or more per year compared to the median household income, which is a little over $50,000. In 1970, those numbers were undoubtedly lower, but Obama's grandparents were nevertheless comfortably situated in the upper middle class.
Obama attended an exclusive prep school in Hawaii and then went on to attend Occidental College and Columbia University, both expensive private schools. Later, he attended Harvard Law School, a school with tuition of over $40,000 a year - which, coincidentally, is more than the average black family makes in that time period.
Yes, he had scholarships. Yes, he had loans. No one is arguing that Obama is not immensely talented. He is a gifted lawyer, an eloquent statesman and soon will be the most powerful person in the world. He also didn't face many of the obstacles which students from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds have to overcome.
Obama did not grow up in the inner city or attend a ""failing"" school - schools which are disproportionately located in high-poverty areas with large numbers of minorities. His parents were highly educated, a privilege enjoyed by only 15 percent of black children. He was not one of the 25 percent of blacks living below the poverty line.
Those are the very students who affirmative action is designed to help. Of course, Obama says that affirmative action shouldn't be needed. We all, regardless of race or ethnicity, hope to live in a world where people are solely judged on their dedication and merit. However, we do not yet live in that world.
Affirmative action exists in recognition of the fact that there are obstacles racial and ethnic minorities face which are independent of class or income level. Income level alone cannot explain the employment gap between blacks and whites, which persists regardless of educational attainment. Nor can it explain the income gap, where blacks, even those with undergraduate and advanced degrees, still make less than their white counterparts.
All of these facts are compiled by the U.S. government and Census, and are readily available to anyone who cares to look. Nevertheless, the anti-affirmative action argument is as common as it is persistent. It is easier to believe that minorities are too lazy or stupid to succeed than to admit that racism still exists - not just in isolated pockets, but as a systematic, institutionalized force.
I believe in America. I believe that one day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream will come true, and people will no longer be judged by their color, race or gender. As Obama would say, ""Yes we can!""
Sajia Hall is a senior majoring in Communication Arts and History. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
