Did Affirmative Action Work? | 5-Minute Videos | PragerU
Before Affirmative Action, black Americans were closing education gaps, increasing incomes, and joining the middle class at record speed. But since the introduction of Affirmative Action, that progress has significantly slowed. How can we account for this? Jason Riley, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, explains Affirmative Action’s troubling legacy.
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Transcript:
Did Affirmative Action Work?
Presented by Jason Riley
Before Harvard Law professor Derrick Bell was for Affirmative Action, he was against it.
This is noteworthy because Bell is best known for his contributions to critical race theory—which claims that racism is embedded in American institutions and that the historical mistreatment of black people largely explains current disparities.
In a 1970 law-review article, Bell objected to using different criteria to assess student performance depending on race. In the past, he noted, the small percentages of blacks admitted to selective law schools “not only met the usual academic criteria, but were often characterized by a strong inner drive to equal and, if at all possible, excel their white classmates.”
Admitting blacks who did not meet accepted standards was, in Bell’s words, “a form of benevolent paternalism.”
He warned that racial preferences risked tainting the accomplishments of those who succeeded—in the eyes of whites and blacks alike. “Whatever arguments are used to justify such a policy,” he wrote, “there is little denying that it robs those black students who have done well of receiving real credit and the boost in confidence that their accomplishments merit.”
Although Bell later changed his mind, he offered a preview of a half-century of arguments that would be made against racial preferences. That might give pause to those who are inclined to dismiss criticism of affirmative action as racist.
Bell’s concerns about the psychological toll of affirmative action turned out to be prescient. More than five decades of racial preferences have created the impression that black advancement is impossible without them.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, that the Court’s ruling “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the majority had “detached itself from this country’s actual past and present experiences.”
This doom-saying assumes racial favoritism is a prerequisite for black accomplishment. Because it has been asserted for decades that affirmative action and government programs produced today’s black middle class, few bother to question the claim. But when we do, a very different narrative emerges.
During the first two-thirds of the 20th century—long before affirmative action and an expanded welfare state—black Americans experienced remarkable progress. Education gaps narrowed, incomes rose, poverty declined. This history is often ignored because activists and politicians prefer a narrative of suffering. Yet it should be a source of pride for blacks—and inspiration for other minorities.
In 1940, 25- to 29-year-old whites had 3.6 more years of schooling on average than blacks. By 1960 both groups had advanced, but blacks outpaced whites and the gap had narrowed by more than half, to 1.7 years.
Between 1940 and 1960, the percentage of blacks with a high school diploma more than tripled, again growing faster than whites. But as colleges began compromising admissions standards in the late 1960s, these trends slowed.
According to Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam and co-author Shaylyn Garrett, the “fastest and most dramatic progress toward parity [in education] between blacks and whites finishing high school was achieved before 1970.”
The same story can be told about income. More education meant better jobs and higher pay. And just as educational gains among blacks were speedier before affirmative action, so too were wage gains. Yet affirmative action policies were given far more credit than they deserved, mainly because proponents started the story in the middle.
In 1939, the annual median income was $350 for black males and $1,000 for white males. By 1960, those figures had reached $3,000 and $5,000, respectively—an increase of 570% for blacks vs. 360% for whites. All of this occurred before affirmative action and the civil rights legislation of the mid-1960s.
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America has enough people of non-White/European descent. We need to pause all immigration until every Unpermitted foreigner & their families are deported. America needs to emphasize the importance of assimilation into our mainstream culture. After that American Citizens should only permit Western White/European immigrants for a length of time & then only a select few other ethnicities to help preserve our Western Values 💪🇺🇸✡️✝️🙏⚔️🪖⭐🦅
America is a predominantly WHITE country and we should never apologize for that. No other countries have to apologize for their ethnic majority – neither should we!
Was the “Bell Curve” named after Derrick Bell? 😉
Great stuff
thats cool, but why did he change his mind? i think that should be mentioned
Affirmative action, also known as Black Economic Empowerment was introduced in the new South African democratic dispensation post 1994.
Today we have more black millionaires than ever before and a world class unemployment rate among mostly blacks of approximately 35%.
Youth unemployment is even more impressive at roughly 60%
Yes, affirmative action benefitted the elites.
While I agree with his premise, percentages can lie. If one group is very low and another very high, the first gains are larger percentage wise. As you near parity, the percentage gains will slow. The closer you are to a target the less gain in percentage compared to actual amounts. It may, probably would have, slowed with or without affirmative action.
Sure worked for incompetence peoples that’s for sure,,,😂😂😂😂
In California, there were plenty of set aside programs for Blacks and other minority groups in our community college system. Proposition 209 ended Affirmative Action in California schools, etc. If anything, Blacks didn't take advantage of the very programs designed to help before Prop. 209. I didn't see a disproportionate number of Blacks on campus and today you don't see a disproportionate number of Blacks in high tech. White men benefited from A.A. because those programs opened the door for White women in high tech and other professions.
Federal policies have harmed minorities.
DEI is institutional discrimination.
Affirmative action is racist.
It could be argued, just looking at the data, that those who created affirmative action were trying to keep black people "in their place."
Absolutely correct, because I studied this and it's amazing how a lot of black people don't know because the Democrats rewrote the history the parties never switched the Democrats just became more crafty blacks overcame significantly without government assistance the minute the government stepped in the black family or the black race started to decline.
Affirmative Action didn't work for all those White US Students who were passed over.
There are always some kind of affirmative actions.
I used to work in a French software company in USA, the company trained and gave opportunities to French who had connections. Then, those French laughed American software engineers being incompetent. Many Americans software engineers were asked to do graphics design, data entries, documentation formatting . One software engineer was scolded for not doing programming during her performance review. Everyone knew she was never assigned to coding despite her begging for opportunities.
At least in this company, French with connections got opportunities. In many planes i have worked, there are groups of people that have all the opportunities. You can work hard. You can play politics. You can be nice those people. You just cannot join them. No, they are from different races and genders groups.
The law can only forbid discrimination, but its hard to prove you are excluded because managers say you are terrible. If you work hard and got good recognition, and beg for opportunities, people will label you as incompetent.
I am not a big fan of affirmative action. Of course, i am not qualified for affirmative.
action. Past 30 year IT experience, not only i have to work hard to keep my job. I have also strive to break into opportunity.
I think that was original intention of affirmative actions. Despite your hard work, management can always figure out to stab you
To assume Blacks need help to succeed is to assume they are not capable of success without it, either because they lack the drive, mental capacity, or physical ability. All of that is, itself, stating that they can't make it on a level playing field because they are inferior to Whites. It IS bigotry, make no mistake, and the Black community has been bamboozled into accepting this and even trumpeting their belief in it. When you step back and really examine the statements, doesn't it seem silly and just insulting to common sense?
Of course “Affirmative Action” worked, it definitely made race an issue of differences, didn’t it? Unfortunately it is the exact opposite of Equal Employment Opportunity, isn’t it? Instead of color blind, looking at character, isn’t color still an issue, almost opposite of what MLK, Jr. dreamed isn’t it?
Thomas Sowell has been pointing this out for a very long time.
Want proof it doesn't work, just look at Don Lemon.
“You can fire me, the government says I have to be here”.
This statement issued inside many auto manufacturing plants and allowed people of none white employees to be extremely unproductive helped end US auto manufacturing. Particularly in the northeast.
Great video
Will Prager U talk about which ethnic group was involved with the Civil Rights movement/Act or the removal of God from public schools?
Well, I learned that special groups in places in institutions are there because they are special not competent. When I go to a physician who is a minority, I decline and as for a white suprematist physician. They had to work for it and had to learn the concepts.
It only worked if those hired learned their jobs and became proficient in them
If they got those jobs, yet never bothered to be decently good at them, then hiring them was a disservice to the employer, and to those with the actual qualifications to do the !@#$ing job they were passed over for. Like that would-be doctoress that recently got let into medical collage with a 1.5 GPA or somesht – I am QUITE SURE the peoples it'll diagnose wrong or – GOD FORBID – operate on, will be pleased with an AA medical school "graduate"
Half- or FULL-@zzing a job can hurt, kill, or ruin peoples
Questions – how would YOU feel if an unqualified AA hire built your car, house, or took care of your financial security/benefits? How about helped built, or even operate, the planes, trains, or cruise liners you travel in ? What about the aeronautic space agencies and companies? You think they care about AA? or whomever is the most qualified to help build the rocketries, and vehicles, to propel astronauts to outer space, the moon, or Mars – You think the V-ger probes were built by some C-grade Johnny-on the-spot engineers? or did they hire the most qualified to put them together and send them on their journeys – to the outer limits of the solar system.
BUTT – employers can virtue-signal that they hired unqualified minorities to "liberal"ly please the m@SSes
Blacks who don't try to succeed end up calling those who do the work and thrive "Uncle Toms" as if they were kissing up to whites and that was, supposedly, the reason for their success. Blacks can't even be respected within their own communities. Sad.
Of course it did. A great example is that genius Supreme Court Justice ketanji brown. If that’s not proof that it worked, nothing will.
Affirmative action resulted in people questioning the abilities of those that "benefitted" by it.
How many people noticed when he stopped comparing black income growth to that of their white counterparts? Try to figure out why and you'll see the obvious flaw in his arguments.
these policies do not take into account basic human nature. if you give someone something or make it easy for them to achieve, they will not appreciate it as much as if it was earned. they will also continue to expect more and more leniency and become resentful when they don't get it. it will also make people who actually work for their results resentful to the point where they will not try as hard and will begin to resent and dislike the people getting preferences. this country started going downhill in about 1970 when these programs were spinning up. and with the proliferation of race baiters like the sharptons, obamas, et al, it has accelerated dramatically in the past 25 or so years.
And this same trend exists in virtually every progressive policy aimed at helping people.
Whenever I see a black lawyer, doctor, or a person of color with a degree from an elite university , I often wonder if they got in based on the color of their skin and not merit. It causes me to pause and question their competence.
It didn’t work so the renamed it as they do everything. They called it DEI.
No. It didn't work. I saw a bunch of good white soldiers leave the Army because they were passed over in favor of black soldiers, who may or may not have been qualified. And then I saw a lot of good black soldiers promoted before they were ready, and lose out and get pushed out of the service. It didn't work.
Taking this opportunity to wish Dennis continuous progress toward complete recovery.
Neither did busing .Spend money on books and buildings, not buses. The family unit is still the best way to succeed in the working world. Parents need to step up and teach children honor and respect. If color is a qualifying item,why isn't gray hair ,tall or short. With a under 20%of the population as black only 20% of the NBA should be black. RIDICULOUS,😅😅 as qualifying come in all shapes and sizes.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION MADE LIBERAL WHITES FEEL GOOD AND THAT'S ALL IT DID.
Could the rapid growth pre affirmative action have been due to a lower start point? Like $1 to $2 is a 100% growth, but $2 to $3 is a 50% growth. The dollar growth is the same but the % is less.
Basically I'm wondering if we are looking at the right set of data for to validate this claim.
If the goal of affirmative action was to divide the population, create a generation of adults who believe that their emotions dictate reality and that the entirety of the people who actually care for them are oppressing them, then yeah affirmative action worked a treat. If it was intended to create a better world it was, is and always will be a dismal failure.
Math is off. The gains made after affirmative action come with a larger base
You've been studying Mf. Thomas Sowell again, haven't you.
Equality is a moral aspiration; competence is a survival requirement; will the west capable of survive?
Affirmative action didn’t solve the deeper inequities in elite admissions. While it was framed as a tool for fairness, legacy applicants and donor families have continued to receive preferential treatment at Ivy League schools, preserving privilege across generations. In practice, the system often reshuffled who competed for a limited number of seats rather than confronting the structural advantages embedded in wealth, connections, and inherited status. As a result, the rhetoric of meritocracy remained intact, even as the mechanisms that distort it were left largely untouched. Basically, if you're white and rich you're much more likely to get in…
Affirmative action worked for the unqualified individual who was hired instead of a qualified individual 😢