Reading #5: Consequences of the Civil Rights Movement - Affirmative Action & Forced Busing

Objective… - Describe how affirmative action policies address the inequalities of American society. - Describe the controversy surrounding affirmative action.

Positive change: African Americans benefited from desegregation & voting rights The problem: The pace of change was slow & frustrating to some people. Many businesses maintained discriminating hiring practices.

1965: “Affirmative Action” Affirmative action is intended to promote equal opportunity for minority groups. The justification for affirmative action is that it helps to compensate for past discrimination. LBJ issues E.O which required federal contractors to hire without regard to race, religion & national origin. In 1968, gender was added to the anti-discrimination list.

1967: LBJ appoints Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court… The NAACP lawyer who argued the Brown v. Board of Ed. case before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court's first African-American justice. Supreme Court justice from

Affirmative Action Social justice or reverse discrimination? Reverse discrimination is a term referring to discrimination against members of a dominant or majority group in favor of members of a minority or historically disadvantaged group.

The Philadelphia Plan The problem: LBJ’s plan lacked measurable outcomes...How do we know affirmative action is happening? Nixon issues the Philadelphia Plan in 1969 The Philadelphia Plan requires goals established by time tables & quotas for hiring. It also applied to colleges and universities....Quotas: In both hiring and education a certain number of spots had to be reserved for minority candidates.

1971: Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Ed. The goal: Regardless of race, all students must receive equal educational opportunities. The Supreme Court ruled that students will be bused between districts to achieve integrated schools.