DEI, affirmative action, and quotas are well intentioned to offset systemic disadvantages. How this is implemented and executed on in practice varies a lot. The results of these measures to enable societal change are mixed.

Instead of using race as a proxy for disadvantaged groups, using quotas for people from poor districts, people with non academic parents, etc. directly might be more beneficial and more broadly accepted in society. The problems in the US, and elsewhere, start with access to and quality of education from childhood on. Trying to fix that with racial quotas for universities seems to be the wrong end.

Have 60 years of affirmative action fundamentally changed the success of African Americans? How much longer should these programs be used?

What about the poor whites who now vote for Trump? They are not part of the good old boys white elite club either. The US is obsessed with race and should move beyond it.

There’s research on affirmative action and it’s effectiveness and overall the results are a bit meh. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/…/ejsp.2991