RSS | Newsletters | Facebook CAP en Español
Center for American Progress Center for American Progress
Issues Media & Progressive Values Race and Ethnicity

Affirmative Action in the United States

Diversity is the litmus test for a modern society. The degree to which ethnic and racial differences are embraced and seen as strength rather than weakness discloses the democratic substance in any given country. The United States has struggled with the issue of race and diversity since its earliest days. With the election of Barack Obama this conflict has not come to a close, but his unexpected electoral success is an indicator that in the United States, descent is not synonymous with destiny any more. Such advances are important tests for contemporary societies and their competitiveness in the 21st century. The capacity to recognize diversity as something positive and bring it to the forefront in education, politics, and business is a crucial asset for modern civilizations.

Read more here.

This article was originally published in Heinrich Boll.

To speak with our experts on this topic, please contact:

Print: Katie Peters (economy, education, and health care)
202.741.6285 or kpeters@americanprogress.org

Print: Christina DiPasquale (foreign policy and security, energy)
202.481.8181 or cdipasquale@americanprogress.org

Print: Laura Pereyra (ethnic media, immigration)
202.741.6258 or lpereyra@americanprogress.org

Radio: Anne Shoup
202.481.7146 or ashoup@americanprogress.org

TV: Lindsay Hamilton
202.483.2675 or lhamilton@americanprogress.org

Web: Andrea Peterson
202.481.8119 or apeterson@americanprogress.org

Subscribe to RSS Feeds

RSS IconSite-Wide and Issue-Specific RSS Feeds

Related Materials

The Top 10 Facts About Children of Color in the United States, by Vanessa Cárdenas

The Real Reason Blacks Won’t Abandon President Obama Over Marriage Equality , by Sophia Kerby, Aisha C. Moodie-Mills

Race and Beyond: French Voters Offer the United States a Campaign Lesson, by Sam Fulwood III

Implementing Observation Protocols, by Robert C. Pianta

Will Black Voters Follow Obama on Gay Marriage?, by Madison T. Shockley II

Also by Michael Werz

Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict in Northwest Africa, April 18, 2012

Mixed Messages from Brazil, April 9, 2012

Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict, January 3, 2012

Also by Julie Margetta Morgan

Las cinco razones porqué la deuda educativa merece la acción del Congreso , March 22, 2012

Middle-Class College Dreams Take Serious Hit Under Ryan Plan, March 21, 2012

5 Reasons Why Educational Debt Deserves Congressional Action, March 20, 2012