A few days ago, we were discussing the modern Civil Rights Movement in the five-week summer session course that I am teaching. This particular class period was very lively and engaging. I provided specific examples and highlights of the era. Almost every student (many who were born in the mid-1990s) was captivated by the monumental events that dominated our nation during this particular time. The topic was even more significant in that it could have not have come at a more opportune time, given the groundbreaking rulings that were rendered by the Supreme Court on voting rights and gay marriage and other related cases during the last week of June.
During the latter half of the class period, one student raised his hand and asked me what I thought about affirmative action. To be more specific, he asked me “do you support affirmative action?” The rest of the conversation went as follows:
Professor: Yes, I do support affirmative action. It is one of the primary reasons I am sitting in this classroom teaching you and your peers.
Student: Well, I don’t think affirmative action is fair. Things should be based on merit.
Professor: How do you define merit?
Student: Merit means that hard work and talent should be given preference over race.
Professor: I agree that hard work and talent should be rewarded. However, the reality is that has not always been the case and that the notion of meritocracy has largely been a myth and is somewhat disingenuous.
