Affirmative Action
Affirmative action
The term affirmative action was first used by President John F. Kennedy. During the 1960’s civil rights movement, President John F. Kennedy signed executive order 10925. This executive order was meant to ensure that federal contractors did not discriminate in their hiring practices but “"take affirmative action to ensure" equal opportunity. The civil rights era also worked to repel against the sexism against women, when in 1967 President Lyndon Johnson amended the order to include prohibitions on sex discrimination against women by federal contractors and to increase job opportunities to women. In the 1970’s, following the Vietnam war, The Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1972 called for preferential employment of disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era, the act was amended a year later requiring federal agencies and contractors to take affirmative action in hiring and promoting people with disabilities. (The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights/The Leadership Conference Education Fund, 2013). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 solidified the legal status of affirmative action by prohibiting discrimination in voting, public education and accommodations, and employment in firms with more than fifteen employees. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 didn’t provide criminal penalties to employers who violated the act, this fell upon a new governmental office the Equal Employment Opportunities Council (EEOC), a branch of the Department of Labor. The EEOC acts as a buffer in the conciliation process between the employer and the employee. Under pressure from groups asserting that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 promoted reverse discrimination, the Department of Labor started obtaining records of hiring practices broke down by race.(U.S.Legal, 2013).. Although affirmative action has made huge advances in equal opportunities for women and minorities, there is continuing need for it today. According to National Organization
The term affirmative action was first used by President John F. Kennedy. During the 1960’s civil rights movement, President John F. Kennedy signed executive order 10925. This executive order was meant to ensure that federal contractors did not discriminate in their hiring practices but “"take affirmative action to ensure" equal opportunity. The civil rights era also worked to repel against the sexism against women, when in 1967 President Lyndon Johnson amended the order to include prohibitions on sex discrimination against women by federal contractors and to increase job opportunities to women. In the 1970’s, following the Vietnam war, The Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1972 called for preferential employment of disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era, the act was amended a year later requiring federal agencies and contractors to take affirmative action in hiring and promoting people with disabilities. (The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights/The Leadership Conference Education Fund, 2013). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 solidified the legal status of affirmative action by prohibiting discrimination in voting, public education and accommodations, and employment in firms with more than fifteen employees. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 didn’t provide criminal penalties to employers who violated the act, this fell upon a new governmental office the Equal Employment Opportunities Council (EEOC), a branch of the Department of Labor. The EEOC acts as a buffer in the conciliation process between the employer and the employee. Under pressure from groups asserting that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 promoted reverse discrimination, the Department of Labor started obtaining records of hiring practices broke down by race.(U.S.Legal, 2013).. Although affirmative action has made huge advances in equal opportunities for women and minorities, there is continuing need for it today. According to National Organization
References: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights/The Leadership Conference Education Fund. (2013). Affirmative action. Retrieved from http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/affirmaction.html U.S.Legal. (2013). Affirmative action law and legal definition. Retrieved from http://definitions.uslegal.com/a/affirmative-action/ National Organization for Women. (2013). Talking about affirmative action. Retrieved from http://www.now.org/issues/affirm/talking.html