Affirmative action is not about preferences. Employers and universities consider race, gender and national origin as one of several factors when they hire or accept applicants. In hiring, employers look at veteran status. In education, whether the student applying for college was a child of an alumni or has leadership skills, athletic abilities, or unique talents or interests is considered in addition to grades and test scores. While society has made progress, women and minorities, including Asian Pacific Americans, still do not earn the same wages or have the same job opportunities as white males.
Affirmative action is a temporary solution.
Contractors frequently rejected the bids of minority contractors, even when they had submitted the lowest bids. The contractors gave bids to a select few white contractors and failed to notify minority contractors of the opportunities to bid for a contract. Affirmative action does not require giving college admissions spots or government contracts to unqualified women or minorities. Neither has it ever been about quotas. Rigid quotas are illegal under existing law.