Post #2482994

Another person answered you but yeah the (very) short answer is the history of institutionalized racism in the USA. There's been plenty of books and articles written on the topic so if you're interested in learning more about the history of racial injustice and how affirmative action works to address that you definitely can find tons of info. At the end of the day, affirmative action is a means to try to right historical wrongs and implement laws against discrimination. I think if you took the time to read more about why it came into being and what the situation was for formerly enslaved people after the civil war* you'll see why affirmative action is still an important practice that continues to this day. *It was bad, really bad. Sharecropping, for example, was really just slavery with extra steps.