Affirmative Action:

Our History Will Not Let Us Dismiss It

By David R. Barclay

David R. Barclay is vice president for work force diversity at Hughes Electronics Corporation.

The following remarks are excerpted from a speech before the Department of Defense Equal Opportunity Forum in the spring of 1996:

I've been asked to provide observations from a private sector perspective on affirmative action. . . . You should understand that I am a strong advocate for affirmative action and my views have been developed through my background and experience, which started with an active involvement in the civil rights movement during the Sixties and having spent nearly six years with the California Fair Employment Practices Commission, the state's enforcement agency, from 1965 to 1971. This is not the typical background of a privateİsector executive, but it may explain some of my positions on these important programs. This [national debate] comes at a critical time in our history, particularly for those of us who have the responsibility to implement equal employment opportunity, affirmative action and diversity programs. Our job has not been made easier with several events that have occurred over the last year . . . [including] the divisive debate going on right now about affirmative action and particularly in California with the "Civil Rights Initiative." The courts are playing a major role in how affirmative action should be defined and this was evident last year, with several U.S. Supreme Court rulings, and more recently with the Hopwood v. University of Texas case involving the University of Texas law School.

Is "work force diversity" just another fad that will disappear in several years? Or is it truly an issue the business community will seriously address? Will affirmative action survive? If it does not, what is going to happen to our society? Is this divisive debate only diverting attention away from the real problems still confronting this country? The answers to these questions are not as clear as some may suggest. To understand this point, we must explore the historical background of equal employment opportunity, affirmative action and diversity. . . . For decades we have been embroiled in controversy over the need for affirmative action. Now 40 years after the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down the "Separate but Equal" doctrine, and 30 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the issuance of [Executive Order 11246] which required affirmative action for federal contractors, we should be celebrating our progress. Instead, we find ourselves inthe most significant and divisive debate this country has ever had regarding affirmative action.

Now we find ourselves questioning and reexamining these historic events to determine whether they remain relevant today. It is important to understand that the focus and doctrine that emerged from the civil rights movement in the Fifties and Sixties was designed to correct one thing, "historical inequities." This doctrine was founded upon the modification of social behavior, not the balancing of legal rights. . . . During the last three decades, we have had a multitude of court decisions that have changed and shaped affirmative action in a manner considerably different from the original intent, but in a manner that recognized special efforts would have to be undertaken to overcome the effects of continuing racism.

But in June 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court brought us back to the world of reality and made clear the magnitude of the struggle ahead. The court, in a span of several weeks, slowed the wheels of progress and has ignored the reality that this country is far from overcoming hundreds of years of racism and is far from being a colorİblind society. In far reaching decisions, the court has negatively impacted minority scholarship programs, school desegregation plans, voting rights, minority subcontracting programs and the realignment of congressional districts. Today, the courts are taking us backward and we no longer have the compelling visual images of the Sixties. We as a nation have lost the moral imperative, even though the vestiges of racism remain. We must understand that no significant social progress has ever been achieved in American society without legal or administrative intervention. This has been true in all facets of our society, including education, economic development, voting rights, employment, housing and, to some degree, the criminal justice system. Devaluing Stereotypes

Unfortunately, I'm now hearing some people of color saying they believe they have been stigmatized and stereotyped by this wicked term affirmative action and they don't want to be associated with this program. I am absolutely amazed how many people characterize affirmative action as a "preference program" and how many . . . minorities have allowed it to devalue our worth, our capabilities and our accomplishments. Minorities have been stigmatized, but rest assured, it is not because of affirmative action. Affirmative action has not and does not give us a preference. It's not about quotas; it's not about hiring or promoting unqualified personnel; it's not about lowering standards. No business could survive with such conditions imposed. But it has given minorities opportunities. . . . Affirmative action has always been about selecting qualified people and we should not feel less capable than others. We must stop devaluing our worth and our accomplishments.

Affirmative action has worked. It has opened many doors that had been previously closed tight. We have made progress and to deny this reality only undermines the program. Has it solved all our problems? The answer is "No." It was never intended to be the absolute cure all nor was the Civil Rights Act. . . . We know that more needs to be done and that is why affirmative action must survive. There must be a recognition that the deeply rooted racial prejudices that continue cannot and will not be solved by catchy phrases, dreams and visions, or some simple statement about merit and a "colorİblind society." We must do more than just state, " I support equal opportunity." The problems are far too complex. I would only ask, why dismantle affirmative action when we haven't dismantled racism and discrimination? I hope the day will come when we no longer need affirmative action, but this is not the day.

Where do we go from here? Affirmative action must survive. It remains an important tool, a process, to ensure equal opportunity and provide the ability to capitalize on the strength of our growing diversity. What must be made abundantly clear is that diversity is not a replacement for affirmative action it is an extension. Every diversity program must have objectives, goals, measurement tools and accountability the very same essential elements of a business plan. Diversity must become a "core value" of the organization, and it should focus management efforts on improving and creating processes, as well as producing results. Diversity must become a fundamental management philosophy which is integrated into the company's overall operating plans and strategies. Diversity and equal employment opportunity initiatives will never be successful unless we have leadership from the top, management accountability and framing [of] the issue to focus bottom line results. We must move beyond the rhetoric of the past and state clearly that the utilization of all segments of our population is a business, social and economic imperative. . . .

All rights reserved.
US Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine.
September 1996