April marks THREE YEARS since we started the Dear White Women podcast, so it’s only fitting that we run this back to talk about one of the issues that we get asked about (and challenged on) the most: affirmative action.  Maybe even hearing those words brings up emotions for you, as it does for us. 

But today we’re going to talk about all things affirmative action, including where it came from, who the biggest beneficiaries of it have been (and if you know a White woman in this country, you’ll want to listen) if we still need it, and what you’ll really need to know about the upcoming Supreme Court case this / next year.  

Bottom line: affirmative action actually affects all of us.  Listen in to hear why.

 

What to listen for: 

• How the term “affirmative action” came to be - originally about race
• When sex/gender was included in the plans, leading to White women were the biggest beneficiaries of affirmative action 
• How affirmative action turned into a zero-sum game by twisting it to position White people (women) as victims
• Reminders of the affirmative action program that supported White people first - the GI Bill
• The SCOTUS case coming up might undermine the benefits - given the composition of the court - of keeping policies in place that enforce diversity

 

Other episodes to listen to: 

Why White People should care

Why White Women should care

John Tateishi’s conversation about living in an internment camp