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Even the strongest black advocates of affirmative action concede that it is not a perfect tool. Like Steele, they decry the widespread view among whites that virtually all blacks who are hired, promoted or gain admission to elite colleges are less qualified than their white counterparts. "There have been casualties -- minority kids who are depressed or feeling incompetent because of the stigma," says sociologist Troy Duster of the University of California, Berkeley. Duster tells of a black student who complained to him, "I feel like I have AFFIRMATIVE ACTION stamped on my forehead."
For most blacks, the opportunities that affirmative action affords outweigh any potential psychological threat. Many reason that once they are on the job or in the classroom, their performance can erase negative stereotypes. Moreover, while many barriers to black advancement have been shattered, few African Americans have penetrated the top levels of corporate management. A recent survey by Korn/Ferry International shows that white males still control at least 95% of the real power positions in corporate America.
Faced with white opposition and their own misgivings about affirmative action, a growing number of blacks would prefer to moot the argument by expanding opportunities for all Americans, whatever their color. They believe that instead of fighting for a fair share of the crumbs from a shrinking economic pie, blacks should concentrate their energy on making the pie big enough to guarantee a slice for everyone. That would require improving schools so that every child could obtain the skills needed to be competitive in the labor market, a thriving economy that could provide a job for everyone who wants to work, and more access to capital markets for minorities who want to < start their own businesses. Meeting those tasks is more difficult than parceling out opportunities according to a racial formula, but in the long run more worthwhile.