Summary Of Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria '

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After reading the book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria” written by Beverly Daniel Tatum, I was left wanting more information on process-oriented and goal-oriented equality programs. Tatum quickly visits these two points in roughly two paragraphs, so I sought out other outside resources to better understand the two terms and how they interact with affirmative action. First, affirmative action is described as "any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory practice, adopted to correct or compensate for past or present discrimination or to prevent discrimination from recurring in the future." (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Statement on Affirmative Action, October 1977). In other words, a program …show more content…

Though Tatum criticizes this theory as “ineffective”, I find that it can still lead to improvements. Taking the process-oriented theory and applying it to mindsets, people are more likely to learn if they are focused on how to get the answer, rather than goals of simply what the answer is. So, if process-oriented mindsets are ideal in classrooms, process-oriented programs can be beneficial in affirmative action also. To explain this reasoning, if a workplace is focused on making standards the same for everyone through a fair process, the outcome will lead to candidates hired based on their qualifications and not on meeting a “goal”.
Tatum critiques this by saying not everyone is given a fair chance because those in minority groups are not awarded the same opportunities, therefor leaving them disadvantaged from the start. However, standards must remain in place in order for a company or business to maintain productive outcomes. If a construction company requires a process-oriented program and mandates that every applicant must have a commercial driver’s license, an exception should not be made for the applicant of minority who has not had the opportunity to take theirs. Fair process, fair outcome. No exceptions. This is the exact point of affirmative action ; to have an equal

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