Beginning with the consideration of race as permissible in university admissions, in the Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke, the court rejected the notion that the constitution prohibits considerations of race. In the UC system, race and ethnicity are not solely considered for admissions. Thus, there is no such thing as preferential treatment. Other criteria such as socio-economic level, state residency, special abilities, disabilities, familial ties and athletic ability are used in determining admissions. These supplemental criteria benefit everyone, not only people of color.
Affirmative action benefits only a select few, and is a primarily Black vs. White issue.
If we as a society value equality and fairness, which is what affirmative action seeks to ensure, then we all benefit. Despite some of the gains made by affirmative action, discrimination still persists. We as a society have, as a result, not been able to fully benefit from affirmative action. However, yearly gains are minimal. It has taken twenty years to arrive at this point.