For more than 50 years, Americans have debated the policy of affirmative action. Defenders argue that it promotes diversity in education and the workplace, provides opportunity for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and helps account for generations of discrimination against certain historically oppressed or marginalized groups. Critics, however, argue that it promotes "reverse" discrimination based on race or ethnicity, treats Americans as members of groups rather than as individuals, and violates the U.S. Constitution. In the latest controversy over affirmative action, Students for Fair Admissions, an organization that opposes the policy, has sued both Harvard College and the University of North Carolina (UNC), charging that the two institutions of higher learning discriminate against Asian Americans in favor of white, Black, and Latino applicants. Harvard and UNC deny these charges, and the case is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. Is affirmative action unfair to Asian Americans? Audio only.

Originally released by Intelligence Squared US, 2022. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on January 23, 2023.