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This review has been accessed  times since April 29, 1998
Garcia, Mildred (Ed.) (1997).
Affirmative Action's Testament of Hope: Strategies For A New
Era In Higher Education. Albany, New York: State
University of New York Press.
256 pp.
ISBN 0-7914-3414-1 (Paper)
ISBN 0-7914-3413-3 (Cloth)
Reviewed by Carlos Nevarez
Arizona State University
April 29, 1998
Garcia poses one overriding question in the current work:
How can affirmative action be constructed for the twenty-first
century to protect those discriminated against at our
colleges and universities? This volume is a collaborative
effort among colleagues trained in several disciplines to
analyze the impact of affirmative action in higher
education. Using examples from a number of fields (but with
a heavy concentration on the legal history of affirmative
action), the contributors make a coherent case for the
application of new strategies for a new era in higher
education. The contributors present more detailed views of
this complex landscape from the perspectives of their
particular field.
Affirmative Action's Testament of Hope comprises ten
sections. John Howard offers a historical perspective on affirmative
action. He examines affirmative action in the larger
context of the long struggle of people of color for equal
rights. Robert Ethridge reviews the progress that has been
made nationally and differentiates between federal and
state-supported programs. Linda Flores and Alfred Slocum
examine the most recent legal cases and their implications
in this new political environment. Using applicable law,
research, and observation, they document how these decisions
are reactions to the loss of white male privilege. The
impact of college admissions is discussed by Sylvia Hurtado
and Christine Navia. They address in depth the concerns
raised about entrance requirements.
Caroline Turner and Samuel L. Myer's chapter on faculty
underscores the slow progress that has been made in the
hiring of faculty of color even with the implementation of
affirmative action programs. Bonnie Busenberg and Daryl
Smith highlight the need for women to continue to support
affirmative action. They explore the current status of
women in academia and emphasize why women need to continue
to join in the battle with people of color to uphold
affirmative action. Robert Rhoads addresses discrimination
against gays and lesbians on college campuses and suggests
ways that institutions can create a more inclusive vision of
affirmative action.
Chapter Nine by Alfred Socum addresses how white men have
benefited from affirmative action. Citing legal cases and
affirmative action programs, the authors document how many
of those in the majority who are calling for the demise of
affirmative action have actually been the beneficiaries of
such programs. The prevailing philosophy among the
opponents of affirmative action is one of "pulling yourself
up by your bootstraps." There is a cry for all so-called
"preferential programs" to end because the playing field is
now level. Finally, Albert Kauffman and Roger Gonzalez
analyze the impact of the Fifth Circuit Court's (Fifth
Circuit Court of appeals is the federal appeals court for
Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) controversial Hopwood
decision on higher education. They list the issues on
appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and outline the
implications of the decision for colleges and universities
(Garcia, 1997, p. 14).
Of particular interest is Garcia's "The State of
Affirmative Action at the Threshold of a New
Millennium"(Chapter 1). She presents a simple, multifaceted
approach to affirmative action. that debunks the most common
myths that continue to enter and influence public discourse.
The author thoughtfully gives her readers a critical
analysis of how to rethink and reevaluate affirmative action
and to explore complex answers to simple questions about
affirmative action. Garcia claims that there exists a lack
of critical reflection in the area of affirmative action.
She believes that we need to rethink and revise traditional
methodologies as well as design and apply new ones with
respect to affirmative action.
Garcia's concluding chapter, "Strategies For A New Era,"
sets out to explore possible strategies and recommendations
to strengthen affirmative action policies. She points to
grounded strategies that are clearly and convincingly
defined. Garcia provides her readers with an explanation of
why colleges and universities should remain committed to
affirmative action. "The changing demographics are clear:
More students of color are entering our educational system.
There can be no doubt that the health of our nations's
economy hinges on graduating women and students of color who
will enter into the work force and become productive
citizens. If we fail in this effort, we will put the nation
at risk economically, socially, and morally" (Garcia, 1997,
p.250).
Some chapters are quite dense
reading. "Affirmative Action: A Path Toward Enlightenment"
(Chapter 4), by Flores and Slocum. "Strict Scrutiny: The
Law and Its Special Favorites"(Chapter 9), by Slocum. Both
of these chapters are quite involved and appear to present a
case-by-case legal analysis of court decisions which
resulted in the creation of affirmative action policies.
Both chapters appeared verbose and difficult. I
think it would have been beneficial if the authors supplied
a brief description and explanation of each court case in a
chronologically arranged table. Furthermore, both chapters
are marked by repetition. These chapters might have been
condensed into one to make a tighter, less redundant volume.
This volume is packed with excellent ideas about affirmative
action that should be of interest to, and taken seriously by
administrators, faculty, students, policy makers, and anyone
interested in higher education administration and
governance. However, although Garcia gives an argument in
chapter one for the structure of the volume, the rationale
behind the placement of certain chapters in their respective
sections is at times, unclear. I found myself continually
trying to fit the chapter into the section, and was
sometimes confused as to the flow of the presentation.
Furthermore, the flow of the various chapters is
inconsistent. Although each chapter provides a case study
of the application of the method, some offer more practical,
philosophical, and theoretical advice than others.
This volume tackles many of the tough issues faced in
conducting affirmative action research. The research is an
invaluable source for affirmative action defenders and
opponents seeking to place affirmative action within a larger
philosophical and theoretical context. However, the authors
fail to predict where we are in early 1998 as a nation on
the issue of affirmative action. The biggest issue concerning
affirmative action today is "backlash." Public opinion
polls are coming out against it and the courts are starting
to turn against it (witness California's passage of
Prop.209). Given the current situation and the fact that
affirmative action is no longer seen by the courts and the
political system as a viable remedy for redressing the
injury brought on by past discrimination, what are plausible
alternatives? This seems to be a fair question to ask of
any book written on affirmative action in 1997. But this
book did not predict the current backlash nor
does it account for this phenomenon. One wishes that the same
analytic skill that makes Affirmative Action's Testament of
Hope such a valuable resource would be turned on the
contemporary questions surrounding affirmative action.
About the Author
Mildred Garcia is Associate Vice Provost and Associate
Professor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department
at Arizona State University, West. She serves as Associate
Director of the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State
University. She received her doctorate in higher education
from Teachers College, Colombia University. She is the
immediate Past President of the American Association of
University Administrators. Her research has concentrated on
at-risk students and under represented faculty, staff, and
administrators.
About the Reviewer
Carlos Nevarez is a Fellow in the Hispanic Border Leadership
Institute at Arizona State University where he is also
in his second year of doctoral work in the PhD program in
Educational Leadership & Policy Studies.
Email: Nevarez@asu.edu
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