Because they perceive that progress has been made, they conclude that efforts like affirmative action are outdated, unfair and unnecessary. The fact is that racism, discrimination, exclusion and economic marginalization based on skin color continue to impede the progress of, and are a part of the current reality for too many, people of color in this country. Yes, higher education has made some progress. It has moved away from the old attitudes of exclusion. What it has not done is move far enough away from the institutionalized behaviors of exclusion.
Skin color is no longer as much of a barrier to higher education as it once was.
To the contrary, we should be looking toward expanding our efforts to open doors and to level the playing fields for people of color. Most critics of affirmative action do not see the need for, and thus do not offer, reasonable alternatives to affirmative action. Nor do they take any personal responsibility for finding reasonable solutions to problems that undergird the need for affirmative action. The majority of Affirmative Action's critics refuse to take any direct and meaningful action to eliminate the racism that continues to negatively impact on a daily basis the lives of people of color. Their attacks on affirmative action and their refusal to act affirmatively do nothing to remedy the situations and conditions that continue to make affirmative action necessary.