Affirmative Action Affirmative Action as defined by the Meriam Webster's Dictionary is an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups or women. In 1961 John F.Kennedy issued an executive order calling for Affirmative Action as a means to promote equal opportunity for racial minorities, in hiring by federal contractors. This was the first official use of the term by the Federal Government. Eight years later Nixon as President …showed first 75 words of 1064 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1064 total…were wrong and unfair.(NY Times, July 22 1995, pp.7) There are however two unusual twists to the assault on affirmative action in the University of California system, that defy the stereotypes. First the race based preferences are being attacked by a black member of the board of regents and defended by Berkeley's Asian-American Chancellor. Second the racial makeup here has extended the fault line in the debate to minority VS. minority, as well as black VS