A long history of persecution by the police has undermined respect for an institution black Americans, especially in the inner city, should have every reason to look to for protection. A recent case in point is the media's obsession with pointing out the black and Indian heritage of Olympic swimmer Anthony Ervin. The gold-medalist and his parents, to their credit, refused to make his ethnicity an issue. The emphasis on the pluribus, rather than the unum, of our national motto undermines our efforts to unite the country by healing the racial chasm that now divides it. Nonetheless, Vice President Al Gore has pledged to follow in the president's footsteps by strengthening the divisive policy of affirmative action.
Affirmative action appears to have done just that.
Obsession with what citizens look like trumps what we think and who we are as human beings and as citizens of a free society. If the University of Wisconsin is any indication, colleges now believe that the beauty of education is only skin deep. Lucas E. Morel is assistant professor of politics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and is an adjunct fellow at the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University. The Ashbrook Center is a Member Organization.