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March 24, 2023

The Affirmative Action Paradox: How White People Benefit Most from These Policies

The Affirmative Action Paradox: How White People Benefit Most from These Policies

In the latest episode of Staying On Code, I delved deeper into the world of affirmative action policies and who really benefited from them. Our lens: When Affirmative Action was White, by Ira Katznelson.

This book is a deep dive into the origins and implementation of affirmative action in America and offers a sobering examination of who wrote the policies, how they were written, and who benefitted from them. Hint: it wasn't Black people. 

Affirmative action didn't begin in the 1950s or 1960s. No, my friends, it began with the New Deal era of the 1930s. America was reeling from the Great Depression and the government wanted to do something to fix it. Policies were created that helped to build a thriving middle class, but these policies were only available to white people. Social Security, the GI Bill, and unemployment insurance -- all specifically designed by white people to give white people a leg up, while purposely excluding Black people who were not only reeling from the Great Depression, but also slavery, the destruction of the Reconstruction period, and Jim Crow. 

You may be thinking "but there was affirmative action in the 1960s and 1970s" and you would be right. Policies were implemented to help level the playing field for Black people in education and employment. However, these programs were implemented in ways that benefited white women more than the people the policies were written for. 

If you're interested in learning more about affirmative action and the ways in which it has impacted America, here are three things you can do:

  1. Head over to the episodes page and tune in to hear the discussion.
  2. You can purchase the book we discussed for the show from Resist Booksellers, the official bookstore of Staying On Code.
  3. You can dig a little deeper by starting with the book recommendations below. 
  1. Race, Class, and Affirmative Action by Sigal Alon: This book offers a comprehensive look at the history and impact of affirmative action policies, and it delves into the ways in which these policies have impacted different racial and socioeconomic groups.

  2. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein: This book examines the ways in which government policies and programs, such as the New Deal and the GI Bill, were used to create and maintain racial segregation in America.

  3. Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi: This book provides a detailed look at the history of racism in America, including the ways in which policies such as affirmative action have been used to address racial inequality.

  4. Whiteness of a Different Color by Matthew Frye Jacobson: This book explores the ways in which the concept of "whiteness" has evolved over time in America, and how policies such as affirmative action have been used to maintain the power and privilege of white people.