The Role of Affirmative Action for African Americans: A Look at Race-based and Class-based Admissions Models

Abstract

Affirmative action is a widely discussed topic in America. Over the past 45 years, affirmative action has been the subject of much controversy as many people declare it “racial preference” and thus unlawful and unnecessary. Recently, scholars have proposed a shift from race-based affirmative action to a class-model. This thesis explores the need for affirmative action as well as its origin while looking at data to determine the effectiveness of affirmative action policies in education. After analyzing results, I determine whether a shift to class-based affirmative action policies would be productive towards achieving the true goal of affirmative action; racial equality.