Virginia Senator Jim Webb has gotten some attention lately by calling for an end to diversity programs. Webb argues that the programs hurt poor whites and reduce the ability to achieve racial harmony.

In the Wall Street Journal, Webb stated that a "plethora of government-enforced diversity policies have marginalized many white workers. The time has come to cease the false arguments and allow every American the benefit of a fair chance at the future."

Webb argues that federal diversity programs benefit immigrants over whites and blacks:

"In an odd historical twist that all Americans see but few can understand, many programs allow recently arrived immigrants to move ahead of similarly situated whites whose families have been in the country for generations," he wrote. "The injustices endured by black Americans at the hands of their own government have no parallel in our history, not only during the period of slavery but also in the Jim Crow era that followed," he wrote.

Former Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder has vocally opposed the column. He has also challenged Webb to produce data, which support his assertions:

"If it's not for the civil rights movement and diversity programs, he would not be a United States senator today," Wilder said, claiming that votes from minorities helped Webb get elected. "Things are tough enough without having people you thought were friends do things like this," Wilder said.

I was certainly surprised to read that a Democratic Senator would publicly oppose diversity programs, but he is from Virginia, which produces a different kind of Democrat than other parts of the country. I am not surprised, however, that there are many poor whites who agree with Senator Webb. Affirmative action programs are not supported by many whites across America, who see no need for an aggressive commitment to reducing racial equality.

According to a Rasmussen Poll, 55 percent of Americans oppose Affirmative Action programs. Therefore, the public support is not there and probably never has been. Fortunately, however, much of this opposition likely comes from the Republican Party, which allows Democrats to protect these opportunities.

Webb's opposition is a serious threat to the Democrats, because he chinks the armor of the party and creates ideological divides. In fact, while Webb claims that he is helping to create racial harmony with his outlandish assertions (he calls white privilege a myth in the title of his column), he is actually increasing and perpetuating racial tension. Poor whites should not be pointing the finger of blame toward people of color. Instead, they should be pointing fingers toward corporate America and the rich, who hoard a disproportionate amount of America's wealth.

Senator Webb makes a solid point that many of our nation's Affirmative Action programs have been hijacked by broader diversity initiatives that don't include underrepresented minorities. Many universities, for example, are more than happy to release their diversity numbers, but "just can't quite figure out" how to collect statistics on the number of African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics on their campuses.

This is largely due to the fact that many campuses and corporations have started using anyone who is non-white to fill their numbers. Additionally, some forget just how much white females benefit from Affirmative Action programs, which have left underrepresented minorities in the dust.

What Webb also forgets to mention is that the strongest Affirmative Action programs in America are not the official ones. Many of these programs involve opportunities given by the "good old boy system," where unqualified men and women like George W. Bush and Elena Kagan find themselves getting opportunities above more qualified candidates (in fact, our entire Supreme Court will be almost completely full of Harvard and Yale graduates once Elena Kagan is confirmed).

Rather than focusing on undermining opportunities for hard-working black Americans, Webb might be better off engaging in empowered advocacy for those he represents and spending time in Washington fighting tax cuts for the wealthy, who are the ones keeping his constituents poor. He's really got it wrong on diversity and is singing the same song as the Republican Party.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.