To whom it may concern:

Not long ago I recall reading an article on World Net Daily concerning the impact affirmative action has on college admissions. The article discusses the median SAT scores of accepted students at the University of Michigan and breaks them down by race. The study conducted by Center for Equal Opportunity concluded the median score for a white applicant was 1350, while the median score for a black student was 1160, indicating whites needed to score approximately 16% higher than blacks on the SAT to gain admittance.

The Democratic Party has been outspoken leaders in continuing the practice of affirmative action with regards to not only school admission, but in the workplace as well. Two of your biggest names, and current candidates for the Democratic Presidential nomination have agreed with your parties stance on affirmative action.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, said before a gathering of civil rights’ lawyers. “All of us here know the vast importance of affirmative action and its essential role in achieving genuinely equal opportunity for all in our society.”

While Sen. Hillary Clinton wrote “For millions of Americans, affirmative action has knocked down the barriers of the past that prevented them from attending college, law school, serving in the military, or working in our country’s leading companies and the small businesses in our hometowns and neighborhoods. When our public places are as diverse as our great nation, then our country grows stronger and we move closer to the America we dream about.”

Although great strides have been made in the name of diversity, I am sad to say your effort in this matter has not been a complete success. Although an African American currently sits on the United States Supreme Court, and an African American woman is currently the Secretary of State, I would like to remind you that no African American has been to the Oval Office.

There is no way to know for sure if the cause of this problem is due to the lack of viable candidates coming from the African American community (i.e. Al Sharpton), or if this is simply another case of bias among the American population, much like the college admission exams. In either case, it is apparant we as a country need to do something to further expand our diversity, and it is for that reason I am writing you today.

Barack Obama who is 50% African American is currently running for your parties nomination for President, and I feel this would be a perfect opportunity to end the color barrior in the White House. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama’s opponents may be more qualified to hold the office of the Presidency due to his limited experience in the Senate, therefore he runs the risk of losing in the primaries.

It is in the name of diversity, and equal opportunity that I am asking your party to apply affirmative action standards to the election results of your primary. If you were to give Mr. Obama a 15% “handicap” in the elections results, I believe it will be enough for him to defeat his opponents and take us one step closer to having an African American in the White House. Since both Senator Edwards and Senator Clinton have agreed previously that a 16% edge in college admissions was acceptable in order to promote diversity, so I am confident they would not have an issue with this.

With your help we can show the world that all Americans, regardless of race, truly are “equal”.

Sincerely,
Charles S.

P.S. In the event you feel my suggestion would be unfair to your other candidates, please remember students face this type of unfairness with every college application they submit.

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Election 2008, Politics, Racism