The Affirmative Action Puzzle: A Living History from Reconstruction to Today

Urofsky (Dissent and the Supreme Court), a professor emeritus of history at VCU, examines the political, social, legal, and economic ramifications of affirmative action in this perceptive and deeply researched study. Starting with JFK’s 1961 executive order requiring government contractors to “take affirmative action” to ensure equal employment opportunities regardless of “race, color, creed, or national origin,” Urofsky charts the evolution of the policy from a “soft” program designed to achieve “equality of opportunity” to a “hard” program that set quotas in order to obtain “equality of results.” Urofsky traces the causes of the shift to efforts by civil rights leaders, politicians, and business interests to “reverse the legacy of Jim Crow.” Though “numbers-driven plan[s]” can be effective, Urofsky writes, they fuel charges of “reverse discrimination” and undermine the idea that minority candidates can succeed on their own merits. Urofsky analyzes the Supreme Court’s stance (strict quotas are unconstitutional; “holistic” practices that consider an applicant’s minority status among other factors are legal) and tracks how politicians have used affirmative action as a “wedge issue.“ His evenhanded approach provides essential historical context, but few definitive answers on the efficacy of affirmative action. Readers with a deep connection to the issue will appreciate this judicious deep dive. Agent: Nick Mullendore, Vertical Ink Agency. [em](Jan.) [/em]