I would like to thank Jay Fleitman for his informative article on affirmative action (“Exploring history of affirmative action,” March 7).
I’ve been wondering for several years now when the subject fell off the radar in national conversation, and am glad to see new light being shed on the subject. While affirmative action policies were once very controversial, they were also misunderstood.
Affirmative actions favor those who tend to suffer from discrimination, particularly with regard to employment or education. An example is an employer faced with a hiring decision between two equally qualified candidates who chooses a person of color over a white person.
Given the known racial prejudice in our country in employment (Bertrand and Mullainathan, 2004; Pager et al, 2009), affirmative action policies, including quotas, offer concrete ways to address conscious and unconscious bias.
We can apply this theory to our own lives by supporting people and organizations committed to anti-racist policies, and by choosing deliberately where to shop, what to read, or who to hire.
I’m grateful to Dr. Fleitman for bringing this important issue to our attention and reminding everyone that they can consider affirmative action on both a political level and a personal one.
Kelly Silliman
Leeds