This week, I’ll be looking at the reasons why people choose to support affirmative action. In order to decide whether or not it should occur it’s important to fully understand the reasonings on both sides of the incredibly complex argument.

One of the most prominent reasons for which proponents of affirmative action argue it must be implemented is that students of color are underrepresented on college campuses. Historically speaking, students of color were prohibited from attending universities at all for decades. Though enrollment rates have risen and affirmative action programs have been administered, students of color are even less represented at top universities than 35 years ago. Furthermore, studies have found that if an affirmative action ban were to go into place, students of color would experience a 23 percent decline in the likelihood of their admission to highly selective universities. Affirmative action strives to amend this inequity in education.

Another reason affirmative action has many supporters is that diversity can be beneficial to all. Students of all races are benefited by a diverse environment. Racially integrated classrooms have been shown to reduce bias, improve leadership skills, and impact self confidence. Many argue that income is a good replacement factor to ensure diversity in colleges. Income, however, cannot alone effectively promote diversity. The prevalence of the racial wealth gap and structural racism as a whole means that income does not increase diversity in the same way affirmative action does.

Many of those who oppose affirmative action argue that it unfairly discriminates against Asian Americans. They believe that many Asian American students who have high GPAs and standardized test scores are rejected from schools they deserved to get into. While it is true that many Asian Americans have “favorable” admissions criteria, opponents of affirmative action fail to account for the large portion of Asian Americans who do not fit the “model minority myth,” such as many of those who identify as Hmong and Cambodian.

These students of color face systemic barriers throughout their life and education. Things like exclusion, segregation, and underfunding have persisted throughout our country’s history. As a result, students of color often are unable to compete in some of the “traditional” factors of success colleges look at. Affirmative action provides nontraditional factors that are just as important to consider when looking at a student’s potential of success. These reasons and many more provide an overview of why many are supporters of affirmative action.