Is it okay to give funding (such as scholarships) to people based on race or sex?

Why is it that there are so many social programs designed to give funding to mostly women and blacks? Yes I know they have proptionately higher rates of poverty and are lower paid but is this fair. Should governments and agencies not target funding to groups that are poor and need better education. Why not give all poor people scholarships instead of creating a black scholarship. While there are lots of poor blacks there are also many rich ones (i.e. Atlanta's suburbs) who would unfairly recieve these scholarships. And why even give women their own female scholarship when more women are attending university then men anyways? The real loser of the 90's and 80's social change is poor white men. I thought these groups (blacks and women) were argueing for equality when they are continueing to discrimanate. Perhaps their arguements should not be for equality in the educational system but that they only care about benefits for themeselves.

many of you claim that since it is private they should be able to do what they want. Then should clubs be allowed to cater to white males if they choose too.

If it is a private organization, or a trust set up by a group through a public university, there's not much that can be done. Is it fair? Probably not. Bestowing any kind of benefit on the basis of race should make everyone suspect of that entity bestowing those benefits.

What would be accomplished by bestowing that kind of benefit on the basis of race? At first gloss, it seems to make the populous more divided by exluding other worthy candidates simply because of their color. Thus, should it even be condoned, much less encouraged? Certainly not by government. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees "equal protection of the laws." If the regulations of a university make special allocations for certain races, that should be subject to strict scrutiny. The Supreme Court decided in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation was unconstitutional based upon that amendment, and that ideal, using the strict scrutiny standard. Shouldn't government take a cue from that and arrive to a similar conclusion?

Alas, no. The Michigan affirmative action cases from 5 years ago showed that the Court is not willing to completely ban even Affirmative Action, much less targeted scholarships. See Grutter v. Bollinger (upholding the practice of using race as a component in determining an applicant's qualifications to college).

I agree with you, though. Equality can ultimately be achieved through colorblindness. Allowing for benefits based upon race implies inequality, and thus creates division.

Most scholarships are private, so they can do whatever they want to with thier money, and no one can tell them how to use it.

One group has a scholarship for tall people, and there are countless scholarships for very specific people given by private organizations all the time. This shouldn't be frowned upon, the charity of these private organizations helps hundreds of thousands of students each year.

A private organization would meet no legal challenge by providing a scholarship for white males only, but a media spectacle would ensue and paint the entire organization as racists. No organization wants or needs that kind of media attention. Its really a reflection on society as a whole. Now, whether an organization actually uses this as a criteria behind the scenes.. that's something none of us will ever know. It shouldn't bother anyone either - they should be allowed to make a charitable contribution however they see fit. It's a free country.

I think you're misinformed. Government programs are non-racial for the most part and based on financial need -- e.g. pell grants, need based scolarships, etc.

Most scholarships that are targetted at blacks, ethnic groups, etc. are private scholarships. Since they're private they can do what they want.

You're right on the women vs. men thing. There are now more women attending college and getting scholarships than men. Some colleges are actively recruiting Men vs. women.

Someone should get the scholarship or job based on qualifications.

Not race. It shouldn't matter race, gender, sexual orientation or by what name they call "God"

Only qualifications

No, it should be based equally on need and grades.

What you are suggesting is communism.
These organizations that give scholarships are private organizations and can give scolarships to whomever they feel like, because its their own money.

Only if they establish the white college fund and the man's college fund. People should get scholarships based on thier need and intelligence not their color or how good they are in sports.

no it is not right to give any sort of scholarship or funding just because of your race or sex. it should be given to those that deserve it (i.e. students who have at least a 3.0 GPA). but of course, everything has to be politically correct, so as to not hurt ppls feelings and lower self esteem. because that would hinder their performance as an outstanding individual.(do u sense the sarcasm) i believe that scholarships so be offered to hard working students, not those that were born into a lower social standing. hence the name SCHOLARship. As a high school senior i receive several hand outs about scholarships being offered. it really disgusts me to see a scholarship like this -and i quote " Ron Brown Scholar Program- Criteria: African American seniors- Amount : $40,000" no that is not a typo...whereas the typical scholarship is usually around $750-$2,500...but as a white high school senior i would have to be either extremely poor or been involved in ASB, a numerous amount of sports teams, volunteer at a local hospital, and be in the top 5% of my class...all while holding a part time job, in order to be considered for any kind of scholarship. The whole system is up side down and is really degrading.

as for the women getting scholarships just because they are women...i have yet to see them..

I think it's OK. I mean, some people aren't able to receive the same opportunities as others. So i think it's OK to give out scholarships and other things to minorities. I have no prob wit it.