In a country with a long history of social injustice, affirmative action is a step in the direction of equality. Under affirmative action, certain circumstances call for minorities and women to be given special consideration in employment and education. For example, a college admissions officer faced with two equally qualified candidates would probably choose a member of a minority group, or a woman, over a white male.

Recently, however, affirmative action has been under intense criticism from conservatives. They believe that affirmative action robs them of promotions and coveted college admissions, and label it as a form as "reverse racism."

Doubt about affirmative action is also apparent among groups of minorities themselves. While many minorities and women support affirmative action, some believe that its benefits no longer outweigh its side effect: that their success is unearned.

In the United States, white southerners once set themselves apart from blacks...