Affirmative action and racial tensionAffirmative action. What was its purpose in the first place, and do we really need it now? It all began at a time when minorities were severely underrepresented in reputable universities and professions. Unless one was racist, most agreed with the need for affirmative action in college admissions and the workplace. Society needed an active law that enforced equality in a time when civil rights laws were effective only in ink. With so much of America's workforce today coming from integrated schools, some may wonder whether racism is really the problem anymore, and many college students may answer yes. They see it on college campuses today, and they're not sure why. Unconscious bias, self-segregation, political correctness, reverse discrimination, and ignorance all mix into the mix of opinions surrounding affirmative action and racial animosity. With racial tensions ever-present in this country, one might wonder whether the problems can be solved with affirmative action. Some believe that affirmative action in universities is the answer to ending racism and inequality. If more black students enter and graduate from good colleges, many of them will be able to even out the unbalanced numbers in the workforce. Prejudice secretly slips through everyone's thoughts. Or so Barbara Ehrenreich believes when she writes about a silent, subliminal bias caused by statistics showing fewer blacks in high-profile jobs. When we see that ninety percent of leadership roles in the corporate world are held by white men, we begin to doubt the competence of others in that field. With so many minorities in menial roles, people begin to believe that the white man is best for... middle of paper...uys.² Time March 13, 1995:114.Irvine, Reed and Joseph C Goulden. ³The ŒBlame Whitey¹ Media.² USA Today Magazine January 1994: 78+.Landes, Alison, et al. Minorities: A Changing Role in America. Wylie, Texas: Information Plus, 1994. 93-111.Martin, Anna. Student survey. October 30, 1996.Page, Clarence. ³We, the Indigestible: The Culture Wars on Campus.² Showing My Color: Unkind Essays on Race and Identity. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. 257-282.Price, Hugh B. ³The Black Middle Class: Past, Present, Future.² The State of Black America 1995. Eds. Paulette J. Robinson and Billy J. Tidwell. New York: National Urban League, 1995. 181-197.Zuckerman, Mortimer B. ³The Professoriate of Fear.² US News & World Report 29 July 1991: 64.³Going, Going ...² National Review 29 July 1996: 12. ³Thumbs down.² The Economist 30 March 1996: 30+.