Bush Appointee to Commission on Civil Rights says "Affirmative Action is No Longer Needed'

Students got a professional perspective on modern civil rights issues Tuesday night from a presidential appointee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Peter Kirsanow spoke to students about ending what he called an outdated model of civil rights at an event sponsored by the Committee for a Better Carolina and College Republicans. Kirsanow said the grievance-victim model, a theory that says minorities deserve concessions to succeed in societies, did more harm than good by stigmatizing minorities as victims and encouraging conformity. “It has been credibly said that we are in a post-civil rights era,” he said. “Virtually all the civil rights legislation that can be passed has already been passed.” Kirsanow addressed concerns that eliminating affirmative action would “turn back the clock” for minorities and that it’s no longer needed. “They continue and repeatedly fight battles that have already been won with the same antiquated weapons and tactics,” he said. “You can’t move ahead if you’re always looking in the rear-view mirror.” He said that affirmative action is not fair to any of those involved. The system makes it seven times more likely for a black student to be admitted to most schools than a white student, and Asian students are not included in affirmative action, he said. [more]