Clements is a fifth-year psychology student.
By Cecily Clements
The rally in support of affirmative action that took place on
March 14th was an important day to me personally, and an important
day to the UCLA campus in general. The fact that more than 1,000
students and community members of various ethnic backgrounds
gathered to voice their opinions about an issue not only combats
the argument that students are apathetic, but also demonstrates
that this is an issue the administration and other students need to
recognize.
But recent publications, including an article written by Ben
Shapiro titled “SP-1,
2 protesters living in the past“ (Viewpoint, April 3),
have portrayed the march as insignificant and
“misguided.”
The premise of Shapiro’s article is that the fight for
affirmative action and the mass mobilization of students into a
movement for civil rights are outdated and unneeded. He claims that
our society has changed, and that the racist inequalities so
evident in the ’60s have now been resolved and no longer need
to be addressed.
Unfortunately, in his claim that “the world has progressed
beyond the bounds of the 1960s,” Shapiro ignores the fact
that there are specific policies currently being enforced that
perpetuate the racist society that has existed since the inception
of this country.
For example, according to the federal Household Survey conducted
in 1998, approximately 72 percent of illicit drug users were white,
15 percent were black, and 10 percent were Latino. Yet in that same
year, African Americans comprised almost 60 percent of the inmates
in state prisons for drug felonies, and Latinos accounted for 22.5
percent (www.drugwarfacts.org).
In addition, with 305 African-American students admitted in
UCLA’s incoming freshman class out of a total of 10,735,
which is only about 3.2 percent, it is hard to claim that,
“times have changed.” In fact, the rally supporting the
repeal of SP-1 and SP-2 was based on the fact that times
haven’t changed.
At UCLA, for example, there were more African Americans enrolled
in 1973 than are now enrolled in the freshman class of 2000.
It seems that Shapiro did not make any attempt to listen to the
message offered by those protesting, yet feels knowledgeable and
confident enough to call the rally “misguided.”
Shapiro substantiates his claim by stating that education is not
a right but a privilege. His reasoning is that because the right to
an education is not spelled out in the Bill of Rights, it is
therefore not a guaranteed right of every citizen.
But nowhere in the Bill of Rights does it spell out one’s
right to breathe clean air, to eat food, or the right to live in a
house free of abuse or emotional instability. Does Shapiro mean to
suggest that oxygen, food and a good home are privileges and not
rights?
The fact that anyone would have the audacity to say that
education is a privilege and not a right is testament to the fact
that those who currently retain the privilege of education are not
willing to give up their position of power. Thus, a lack of
diversity further perpetuates such a privileged ideology.
Shapiro goes on to cite that the Asian population on campus is
actually larger than the white population, and asks the question if
white students can begin to claim underrepresentation. This
statement illustrates how Shapiro fails to appreciate the diversity
of the Asian Pacific American community, ignoring the
underrepresentation of South East Asians, Pacific Islanders and
Pilipinos.
Moreover, the claim that one ethnicity is a
“majority” while another is a “minority”
has more implications than just a numerical analysis of population
ratios.
A quick glance at the 2000 census numbers reveals that whites
are certainly no longer the numerical majority in the state of
California, yet white culture, values and privilege continue to
dictate the political and social landscape.
In other words, although white people may no longer be in the
majority, white people still consume the largest percentage of
resources, white people are the majority of large business owners,
white people are largely overrepresented in the state and federal
government and the white perspective is more often represented in
pop culture.
The most troubling fact, however, is that the curricula taught
in schools throughout the nation perpetuates the white perspective,
which celebrates European colonialism and trivializes the
experience of non-whites in this country.
Although numerically there are more Asian American students than
white students at UCLA, the majority of the UC Board of Regents is
white, the chancellor is white, the UC president is white, and the
majority of the faculty is white. I would argue that this does not
constitute underrepresentation of whites.
One of the most disheartening claims made by Shapiro in his
article is that supporters of affirmative action were
“disrespectful” to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Unfortunately, many opponents of affirmative action have abused the
image of Dr. King, proclaiming that the ban of affirmative action
is a “civil rights issue,” and that it would be
something that Dr. King would support.
After reading his article, I find it painfully obvious that
Shapiro knows very little about affirmative action and Dr. King. In
actuality, the implementation of programs like affirmative action
work to achieve the goals outlined in King’s
philosophies.
King spoke of working toward a society that would ensure respect
for all races. His vision was a society free of individual and
systematic discrimination. This is precisely what affirmative
action, joined with an equally necessary long-term solution, aims
to accomplish in the present day.
In fact, misconceptions about the life and philosophies of Dr.
King show the inadequacies of our educational system in teaching
about the civil rights era. Consequently, the white majority
continually misconstrues the work of a great civil rights leader in
order to promote its own agenda of a white, privileged and educated
class.
The answer is obvious, but 30 years of affirmative action have
not been sufficient to reverse the effects of more than 400 years
of racial and political assault on people of color in this country.
Maybe for individuals like Shapiro, life is comfortable and the
opportunity to pursue dreams is available, but that is not true for
everyone.
Challenging one’s privilege is difficult, particularly
when that is all one knows. But it is also a responsibility of
those who have it. Racism has gone from being overt to covert, and
we are currently dealing with a racism that exists deep within the
institutions of our society. In reality, nothing has changed.