by Jesse L. Jackson

About the author: Jesse L. Jackson is president of the National Rainbow Coalition, a social justice organization. He has been active in civil rights issues since the 1960s.

In the tradition of its predecessors, busing and law and order, the issue of affirmative action became the operative buzzword for racial politics in the 1996 presidential campaign season. While we know that most Americans have benefited from affirmative action programs—Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, African Americans, veterans, the disabled, and women of all races and ethnic backgrounds—current political rhetoric has forced a black face on the issue. This is not only inaccurate but also intellectually dishonest and manipulative.

From statehouses to the halls of Congress, politicians who until very recently lauded the benefits of affirmative action have now commenced a full frontal assault on such...