To the Daily:
I will always remember Justice Lewis Powell, who recently died at the age of 90, as the swing vote on the Court that was responsible for one of the greatest injustices in the history of this country. Since the civil rights laws were passed in 1964, establishing the right of all people to equal justice under the law, there had been those who attempted to use these laws as a cover for inflicting racism and discrimination against white males. Quietly, programs and policies began to sprout up all over the country giving preferences of one kind or another to women and minorities. Even though such policies flew in the face of the civil rights laws, they were allowed to continue.
What Powell and the Supreme Court did in 1978 (through the Bakke decision and later through the Webber decision) gave legal sanction to these racist policies. The Supreme Court basically established two classes of individuals in this country, women and minorities who are accorded unconditional protection from discrimination in all facets of society, and white males who are denied such rights.
Today, discrimination against white males is rampant throughout our society. From school admissions to scholarship awards to business recruiting policies to job promotions, white males are routinely discriminated against. American white males have grown so accustomed to this that it is hard to imagine this country without affirmative action.
In interviews taken since the 1978 rulings, Powell expressed surprise that these affirmative action decisions caused so little uproar among American white males. I suppose he felt white males accepted these policies because of guilt and feelings of deserved punishment. It is time that this complacency end. Americans of all classes who believe in true justice should stand up and demand that discrimination be ended once and for all. Through the political process, political protest, and organizations such as the American Civil Rights Coalition, Americans must stand up together and demand an end to Powell's filthy legacy.
Jeff Burhans
University alumnus
09-09-98
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