When Does Affirmative Action End and 'Reverse Discrimination' Begin?
By Luke Visconti. Date Posted: March 20, 2008
Question:
When does affirmative action end and reverse discrimination begin? Twenty-plus years ago, the fire department I work for was mostly made up of white males. Since that time, they have made great strides to correct that problem. Our recruitment office is predominantly minorities or women. The training academy also has a high percentage of minorities. I believe this helps get minorities interested in the job and helps them through the academy. This is a good approach.
However, are they hiring the best people for the job? The hiring process consists of a series of written and physical tests. Applicants used to be graded on how well they did in each area. Now the test is a pass/fail. The applicants that pass are all equal. The recruitment branch can pick whoever they want. Most minorities are frequently called back and rushed through the process in less than a year. If a white male gets hired, it often takes two years. When 90 percent of the applicants are white males and they make up less than half the current hires, are they not being discriminated against?
This problem persists through the promotion process as well. Promotional tests have a written and practical portion. Everyone takes the same test and they are numerically ranked based on their performance. Our department skips over white males in order to promote minorities. Is that not a form of discrimination?
A: This is an emotionally charged issue and I appreciate the respectful tone of your earnest and forthright questions.
From a legal context, recent DiversityInc articles have explored the subject of "reverse discrimination," and here are links to those articles:
However, I think your questions demand a strategic answer. If people are created equal, then it is logical that talent is distributed equally also.
The first part of your e-mail involves a standardized test. Tests such as this favor those who are better prepared. Preparation in public schools (and at home) differs widely by socioeconomic group; to be clear, there is a definite difference in preparation AND expectation in public schools that serve Black and Latino students. Socioeconomic groups also have different home-stability issues, nutrition, etc. In our country, socioeconomic groups and race are closely aligned. Bias by race is a fact of American history. The repercussions can be measured today in a way as simple as household wealth--for example, Black households have one-tenth the wealth of white households. That makes affirmative action an imperative to find the best talent for the job.
In the case you present, pass/fail is probably a good solution to equalize societal differences in preparation and allow the talent to come through regardless of race. This is a crude way of handling it, but statistically it will probably work without lowering the quality of your firefighters, as standardized tests are usually not a predictor of career success (read the upcoming April 2008 issue of DiversityInc magazine for an article regarding SAT scores and college success by Rutgers-Newark Provost Dr. Steven Diner).
The second part of your e-mail involves hiring rates. In my opinion, redress of past injustice benefits the total society. In the case of your fire department, diversity will increase your talent pool by providing access to those who had been discriminated against. There are generational benefits. For example, the New York City Fire Department is 79 percent white and 8 percent women. The city population is 44 percent white and 52 percent women. Mathematically, the fire department cannot have the best-qualified people working for them. Traditionally, however, the jobs have gone to certain neighborhoods, and then passed from father to son. This is fine, but you increase the chance of higher-quality firefighters by spreading the wealth (given that all people/talent are equal).
Because of human nature, diversity does not happen serendipitously. People are NOT color blind. Another factor affecting quality and performance is that there poor retention when representation of any group is low. Read Why People Are Obsessed With Race to learn more.
The data in The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® shows a definite connection between representation (especially management representation), recruitment and retention. Although this will be of little solace to the white applicant who is waiting, your fire department is working toward diversity that will have several benefits:
1. A more effective fire department because of better talent at all levels
2. Retention of that diverse talent by having rank and file as well as management representation
3. Economic development of communities that were formerly discriminated against
There are other benefits for your region:
1. A reputation for diversity is an economic-development necessity for locating progressive companies to your area
2. It also prevents brain drain of talented young people
3. Enhanced trust will encourage residents to practice better fire prevention and facilitate more effective fire fighting
Finally, righteous discrimination is something we all practice. In this case, your community is discriminating against bias and toward inclusiveness. There are long-term benefits to this approach. The pain comes in recovering from decades or centuries of unjust discrimination.
More Ask the White Guy >>
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