by Frank H. Wu

About the author: Frank H. Wu is an associate professor of law at Howard University and the author of Beyond Black and White.

As a strong supporter of affirmative action, I am often asked to debate the topic. Whether the forum is a television show or a college campus, I always try to decline.

Iwould like to explain why I do so. A debate is not what we need, and affirmative action is the wrong place to begin. Typically, opponents of affirmative action argue along misleading but effectively divisive lines suggesting that racial quotas benefit unqualified minorities to the detriment of more qualified whites.

Indeed, those of us who support systematic efforts to achieve racial justice can reform the very terms of the discussion. We make a mistake continuing a dispute defined by the other side.

I'd...