Affirmative Action Defended

Current attacks on affirmative action programs are merely attempts to divide and subjugate American workers, said a speaker at a talk last night defending affirmative action sponsored by the International Socialist Organization (ISO).

"We live in a society where racism is one of the central features of society and those who say we should move to a color-blind system of affirmative action are just ignoring the racism in society," ISO member Brian Kelly told a gathering of 10 people, most of whom were ISO members.

"There have been people waiting in the wings to attack affirmative action and working class people are going to lose because of it," Kelly said.

Kelly said America is currently in the grips of the "largest sustained attack on affirmative action since the Depression." He said the attacks on affirmative action represent "an all-out assault on the living standards of working-class people."

ISO member Eleanor Trawic agreed with Kelly, but said that current affirmative action programs need to be strengthened.

"Affirmative action currently is not enough to overcome racism in society. We should argue for affirmative action to go further. We should see our commitment to equality to go way beyond the pitiful laws as they now stand," Trawic said.

Ken R. Campbell, one of the discussion organizers, said affirmative action is one of many issues "on which President Clinton is now waffling."

Kelly, a graduate student at Brandeis University, said the debate about the future of affirmative action is especially important because the issue is currently a political hot potato.

"Clinton will be hammered in 1996 if he supports affirmative action," said Kelly, who talked for about 45 minutes.

"The Democrats and the Republicans seem now to agree on ending special privileges based on race. They seem to be heading toward a colorblind affirmative action," he said. "The problem with this is that racism and sexism are not things of the past. A pattern of discrimination based on race still exists."

The ISO is a University-recognized graduate student organization which has regular meetings on campus