Rice and Affirmative Action -

Rice and Affirmative Action - Brent Staples has an excellent, provocative article in this morning's NYT on Condoleeza Rice's angle on Affirmative Action.

Sample:

There were several points at which her blackness (and her gender) doubtless helped to open doors that might well have remained closed to brilliance alone. To put it another way, her blackness and her gender added to her appeal, especially in the context of the white, mainly male foreign-policy boys' club.

Like Ms. Rice, I have spent my professional life in jobs where I was the only black person in the room. Nestled snugly among the powerful, many of us are tempted to assert that the best always rise to the top — and that those who do not reach the apex themselves are held back by lack of merit alone.

The whole thing is interesting. I don't agree with it all - but read it anyway.

Posted by Mitch at February 3, 2003 07:47 AM