Rep. Tony Powell, a conservative Republican from Wichita, recently introduced legislation to end affirmative action in the state. Powell's proposal would prohibit government entities from basing hiring decisions on race and gender. It is modeled after California's controversial Proposition 209, which was upheld in November by the U.S. Supreme Court. I think the suggestion that we have to have set-asides and preferences in order to provide equal opportunities for minorities and women is wrong. Gilbert Hammond, a spokesman for the Kansas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, couldn't disagree more.
Affirmative action is about opening doors and giving people opportunities.
Mr. Powell wants to close the door. Powell says supporters of affirmative action can't have it both ways. They can't be for equal opportunity and hiring preferences at the same time. To me, it is a total oxymoron. What he's talking about is a slap in the face to those of us who remember what it was like before the civil rights movement.