Evaluate the view that affirmative action has been more significant than minority participation in congress in promoting racial equality (30 marks)

Intro

D- AA is positive discrimination, minority rep is more megs etc in congress

C 2023 students for fai radmissions vs Harvard struck down use of AA

V- aa has still helped overall

P1- AA has helped direcelty imporve policy outcomes and provide greater pporuntiies fo rehtnic minorities

• e- btw 1960-1995 black students graduating from uni rose from 5% to 15%

• however, policy has directly led to major issues promoting further racial ineqaulity, instead greater minority representation can lead toa more significatn voice for indiviauls e.g Kamala harris helped pass biparstisan first step act 2018 - hleped unfair treatment of ethnic minorites in prison

nevertheles this is still a weak argument as althoigh levels of imporvemtn have been made,there can still be a cntinuation of dricriminatory polciies that lead ot a reversal of racial eqaulity e.g many states intorducing voter ID restrictions,

p2- regardless of how outcome AA has been effectively impemented and helped increase chances of racial eqaulity vs poor leg being passed in congress due to hyperpatisanship

e- aa- greater opporutnites in education and workforce e,g A 2020 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study found that AA increased college completion, earnings, and employment rates for underrepresented minorities without harming white or Asian students’ outcomes.George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (2021)Failed to pass in the Senate despite widespread support following the 2020 protests.- partisan gridlock

c- howver increasingly institutions have begun to counteract aa and ban its use e.g SC tuling students fo rfai radmssions vs harvard 2023

e-howver in states its administered, education levels still reamin higher and now lower opporutnities for ethnic minoritesin states it has been banned

P3- even when legislation has been passed in congress, it has often failed to be properly implemented

e- 2021 john lewis voting rights act failed topass

c- howver, ethnic minorite representatives have effectively led the way in helping formulate key poliies that have helped improve and aid aoutcomes of AA Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) – Policy AdvocacyThey have consistently lobbied against judicial rollbacks and filed amicus briefs in support of affirmative action in landmark cases like Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

nevertheless this is stilla wekaer arguemnt as aa has led to greater implementation of policiy outcomes rather than leg formed by memebrs of congress and even rulings by the sc