Paul Butler, interviewed by Lloyd Eby

In the following viewpoint, Paul Butler contends that race- based policies such as affirmative action should continue to be on the government’s agenda. He maintains that these policies counteract ongoing discrimination against people of color and help to ensure equal opportunity in education and employment. As long as minorities face discrimination because of their skin color, argues Butler, race should be a factor in policymakers’ decisions. Butler is a law professor at the George Washington Law School in Washington, D.C. He is interviewed by Lloyd Eby, the assistant senior editor of the monthly news journal World & I. As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Butler, what three goals are to be achieved by the use of racial preferences?
2. How does the...