Virginia Senator Jim Webb has gotten some
attention lately by calling for an end to diversity programs. Webb
argues that the programs hurt poor whites and reduce the ability to
achieve racial harmony.
In the Wall Street Journal,
Webb stated that a "plethora of government-enforced diversity policies
have marginalized many white workers. The time has come to cease the
false arguments and allow every American the benefit of a fair chance
at the future."
Webb argues that federal diversity programs benefit immigrants over whites and blacks:
"In an odd historical twist that all Americans see but few can
understand, many programs allow recently arrived immigrants to move
ahead of similarly situated whites whose families have been in the
country for generations," he wrote. "The injustices endured by black
Americans at the hands of their own government have no parallel in our
history, not only during the period of slavery but also in the Jim Crow
era that followed," he wrote.
Former Virginia Governor
Douglas Wilder has vocally opposed the column. He has also challenged Webb to produce data, which support his assertions:
"If it's not for the civil rights movement and diversity programs, he
would not be a United States senator today," Wilder said, claiming that
votes from minorities helped Webb get elected. "Things are tough enough
without having people you thought were friends do things like this,"
Wilder said.
I was certainly surprised to read that a Democratic Senator would
publicly oppose diversity programs, but he is from Virginia, which
produces a different kind of Democrat than other parts of the country.
I am not surprised, however, that there are many poor whites who agree
with Senator Webb. Affirmative action programs are not supported by
many whites across America, who see no need for an aggressive
commitment to reducing racial equality.
According to a
Rasmussen Poll, 55 percent of
Americans oppose Affirmative Action programs. Therefore, the public
support is not there and probably never has been. Fortunately, however,
much of this opposition likely comes from the Republican Party, which
allows Democrats to protect these opportunities.
Webb's opposition is a serious threat to the Democrats, because he
chinks the armor of the party and creates ideological divides. In fact,
while Webb claims that he is helping to create racial harmony with his
outlandish assertions (he calls white privilege a myth in the title of
his column), he is actually increasing and perpetuating racial tension.
Poor whites should not be pointing the finger of blame toward people of
color. Instead, they should be pointing fingers toward corporate
America and the rich, who hoard a disproportionate amount of America's
wealth.
Senator Webb makes a solid point that many of our nation's Affirmative
Action programs have been hijacked by broader diversity initiatives
that don't include underrepresented minorities. Many universities, for
example, are more than happy to release their diversity numbers, but
"just can't quite figure out" how to collect statistics on the number
of African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics on their campuses.
This is largely due to the fact that many campuses and corporations
have started using anyone who is non-white to fill their numbers.
Additionally, some forget just how much white females benefit from
Affirmative Action programs, which have left underrepresented
minorities in the dust.
What Webb also forgets to mention is that the strongest Affirmative
Action programs in America are not the official ones. Many of these
programs involve opportunities given by the "
good old boy system," where unqualified men and women like
George W. Bush and
Elena Kagan
find themselves getting opportunities above more qualified candidates
(in fact, our entire Supreme Court will be almost completely full of
Harvard and
Yale graduates once
Elena Kagan is confirmed).
Rather than focusing on undermining opportunities for hard-working
black Americans, Webb might be better off engaging in empowered
advocacy for those he represents and spending time in Washington
fighting tax cuts for the wealthy, who are the ones keeping his
constituents poor. He's really got it wrong on diversity and is singing
the same song as the Republican Party.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
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