Teacher Layoffs Seniority And Affirmative Action

In the context of the evolution of affirmative action at the national and state levels, this study offers an empirical account of the citizens' movement in California that successfully resulted in the passage of a constitutional amendment to abolish such preferences in public education, public employment, and public contracting. It describes how the concept of affirmative action was transmuted into quotas and set-asides even in those situations where there was no credible evidence of past discrimination. This process was aided by Presidential Executive Orders as well as by some Supreme Court decisions which, until the late 1980s, failed to provide clear parameters of compensatory versus preferential actions. The California movement arose to reassert the original vision of equality as contained in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Raza, Anderson, and Custred, who have studied the historical development of the phenomenon and have witnessed its actual operation, lift the curtain of secrecy that surrounds such preferences. This book challenges the notion that affirmative action is a benign and temporary measure that simply provides a helping hand to those who are disadvantaged. There is ample evidence of the institutionalization of preferences that generally provide advantages to those who could otherwise compete on their own merits. Such unfair competitive advantages, provided by government agencies and public educational institutions have neither moral nor political majority support; however, they continue to exist through pressure of political interest groups, liberal political ideology, and entrenched bureaucrats who administer the system. Quite contrary to some people's thinking, the system of preferences may no longer be considered either permanent or necessary.

This collection of essays by the historian and activist Aviva Chomsky includes work on topics ranging from immigration, to labor history, to popular culture. Chomsky’s incisive prose brings the perspective of a historian to bear on current events in a way that adds depth and nuance to topics that are of the utmost importance at this moment in world history. Unwanted People fits into Chomsky’s larger project to debunk the mythical history of the United States as a nation of immigrants or a melting pot. Her work uncovers centuries of racially motivated immigration policies that inform the current rhetoric surrounding immigration and displaced peoples. Her essays build on that foundation and expand into new territory. Exploring history as a discipline that works from the ground up rather than from the top down, Chomsky challenges the dominant narratives and gives voice to disenfranchised and unwanted people. Touching on topics from revolutionary violence and race to colonialism and its aftermath, this collection of lucid thoughts reveals the hidden histories of the people who shape our modern political and economic landscape.

This volume represents the most comprehensive book-length bibliography on the subject of racism available in the United States. Compiler Meyer Weinberg has surveyed a wide-ranging group of material and classified it under 87 subject headings, drawing on articles, books, congressional hearings and reports, theses and dissertations, research reports, and investigative journalism. Historical references cover the long history of racism, while the heightened awareness and activity of the recent past is also addressed in detail. In addition to works that fit the narrow definition of racism as a mode of oppression or group denial of rights based on color, Weinberg includes references dealing with sexism, antisemitism, economic exploitation, and similar forms of dehumanization. References are grouped under a series of subject headings that include Civil Rights, Desegregation, Housing, Socialism and Racism, Unemployment, and Violence against Minorities. Items which do not have self-explanatory titles are annotated, and virtually every section is thoroughly cross-referenced. Also included is one section of carefully selected references on racism in countries other than the United States. Unlike the remainder of the book, this section is not comprehensive, but rather provides an opportunity to view racism comparatively. The volume concludes with an author index. This work will be a significant addition to both academic and public libraries, as well as an important resource for courses in racism, sociology, and black history.