THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 10, 1997 TAG: 9701100056
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NICOLE HANNANS, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 126 lines
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD Marcia Ortiz tries to stay informed about politics. The issue of affirmative action, in particular, has caught her eye.
``With affirmative action in place, I have no fears about not being accepted as an equal and I am confident about the future,'' said Marcia, who is Filipino-American. ``I don't know if I'd feel that way if it was abolished.''
Recently, Ortiz and several other teen-agers met to discuss their perceptions and thoughts on affirmative action. Even though affirmative action is an ongoing topic of debate, the presidential election and recent controversy in California have focused more attention on the issue.
The teens who met in Virginia Beach had viewpoints as varying as adults, but all said they often feel left out of the national discussion. They feel adults and politicians aren't concerned about their views, even though the existence - or non-existence - of race- and gender-based programs in colleges and businesses might affect them in the near future.
``We don't have any control because we're not voting and they (adults) don't listen to us,'' said John Sullivan, a 16-year-old white student. ``If I could tell the president something, it would be that the country is going down the tubes, and that could be partly because employers are picking the wrong people due to affirmative action.''
The federal government implemented some of its first affirmative action policies in the 1960s, requiring federal contractors to take ``affirmative action'' to ensure that individuals are treated without regard to race, color or national origin.
Private institutions have developed their own policies over the years to increase employment and college enrollment opportunities for minorities and women.
President Clinton says that although changes need to be made in federal affirmative action programs, he doesn't want to abolish the programs. California's Proposition 209, approved by voters in November, is being appealed. It calls for ending race and gender preferences in college admissions and state hiring.
In discussing such rulings, discrimination and the future of affirmative action, Angela Hicks, a 17-year-old African American senior at Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, described affirmative action policies as fulfilling ``a need for minorities in America to catch up with the majority of America.
``Primarily, it helps to make equality become a reality.''
Gates County High School sophomore Eric Nickens, an African American, said affirmative action provided ``a chance to catch up with the rest of society.''
``Now people say, `We've caught up, we need to end it,' '' Nickens said. ``We still haven't caught up.''
John Sullivan, who lives in Virginia Beach, described affirmative action policies as an ``easy way in.''
``I mean, I know that there is discrimination in America, because when my grandmother moved here from Ireland a long time ago, she said that Irish people couldn't get jobs here and so she had to work even harder,'' said the Tallwood High School student. ``Everyone should be given a chance, but just because you're a certain sex or a certain color doesn't mean you should automatically get the job over someone who has a better education.''
While affirmative action might not be usual dinner-table conversation in some households, it effects situations every day.
Teen-agers feel its impact in dealing with colleges and universities that offer race-based scholarships, admissions and tutoring opportunities for minorities as well as aggressively recruiting women.
Joel Dabu, a Filipino-American student, recalled a situation in which a white friend applied for a scholarship to attend the University of Virginia and didn't get it.
``She applied for a full scholarship, and a black student ended up getting the scholarship,'' said the 15-year-old Virginia Beach student. ``She felt that she was more qualified, and she was mad because she believed that it was an unfair result of affirmative action.''
Liz Parker, a Norfolk Academy student, said she has had personal experiences as well.
``I was talking to my guidance counselor about financial assistance, and he told me that it wasn't an issue. They needed me because I was black,'' Liz said. ``He told me out in the open that they needed to diversify the school. The fact that I was an intelligent black female just confirmed their decision.''
Some people feel that discrimination is no longer evident in today's society and that therefore affirmative action is no longer needed.
In fact, some affirmative action critics feel that by concentrating on minorities and women, affirmative action policies ``discriminate'' against whites and men.
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that between 1990 and 1994, 100 claims of reverse discrimination were made by white males. Bias was found in only six cases.
``I know that the alleged victims of affirmative action are white males, but in the job market, they hold a substantial number of high executive positions,'' Marcia said. ``So, I think (affirmative action policies) are justifiable.''
Others believe that discrimination against minorities and women is still alive. For example, statistics show a substantial difference between the earnings of men and women. In 1994, full-time working women earned only 72 cents for every $1 a man earned.
``Discrimination is everywhere,'' said Tiffany Quash, an African American student who attends Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake. ``If you're a minority and you excel in anything that you do, people will come down on you or criticize you because you are a minority.''
Many of the teen-agers said they were ambivalent about affirmative action even though they didn't want to see it disbanded. They could see why many call affirmative action policies unfair but can't see how America will ``level the playing field'' without directives like affirmative action.
``I mean, (affirmative action policies) have helped a lot of people and hurt a lot of people,'' Tiffany said. `We, as minorities, need to realize that we can't take advantage of affirmative action. Nothing is going to be given to us, and we need to work harder.''
John said: ``I think that's totally wrong, because if you look where people are today, we have famous people of all races.
``Maybe it's good that they did have it 30 years ago, because that actually put people where they are now. If you abolish it now, it might be better, because you'll let people go out and do something for what they can do, not what they are.''
Angela not only wants affirmative action to stay but also wants politicians to listen more to teen-agers.
``Politicians only think about right now,'' Angela said. ``They're not interested in tomorrow.'' MEMO: Nicole Hannans is a junior at Tallwood High School in Virginia
Beach. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Marcia Ortiz
John Sullivan