What does equality mean? For many centuries, America struggled to answer this question. In the 17th and 18th centuries, African Americans were not equal as Americans considered them property, chained them, and beat them. From the 1917s to the 1900s, women were prohibited from voting; they had to stay at home or work in a small factory, so they were not equal. However, today, equality issues are being challenged by affirmative action. Across the country, the use of affirmative action in education has sparked controversy. Some people believe that instituting affirmative action in the college admissions process would create a diverse education. However, some view this as simply a policy of reverse discrimination against white and Asian students. In 1961, the concept of affirmative action first emerged when President Kennedy directed government contractors to take "affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are hired." treated during employment without regard to race, creed, color or national origin” (Kennedy, Executive Order 10925). But it wasn't until 1978 that the first controversy over college admissions arose, in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. Since then, the question of whether or not affirmative action increases equality in the admissions process has been and remains a heated debate. Many people believe that affirmative action helps prepare students for a multicultural environment. Most highly selective universities claim that a rich ethnic mix on campus guarantees a better education. Paul Gaston, a university professor who has been teaching for over 40 years, has witnessed the changes on campus and said that "before...... middle of paper...... action positive was like a wheelchair for those who didn't need it. . Why give someone a wheelchair if they don't have a broken leg? Works Cited Anonymous author, “Focus on Affirmative Action in Michigan.” The Los Angeles Times. June 26. 2001. Clayton, Mark. “A University’s Case for Race.” The Christian Science MonitorApril 1. 2003. Hernandez, Michele. “Athletes are the problem.” The New York Times. November 13, 2011. Kennedy, John F. “Executive Order 10925,” March 6, 1961. Krauthammer, Charles. “Lies, damn lies and racial statistics.” Time. April 20, 1998. Samuelson, Robert. “Affirmative ambiguity.” The Washington Post. June. 2003.Thenström, Abigail. “Positive actions; College decisions add insult to injury; the court's upholding of admissions preferences glosses over the need for better early schooling. The Los Angeles Times. June 29 2003.