It is admirable for Nicholas Infante (“Quota penalties,” Jan. 11) to ask for the end of affirmative action from the Chicago Fire Department’s hiring and promotional practices. However, just a short 20 years ago, race and sex were used as a criteria for hiring and promotions, but it was only benefiting white males.
Where was he when there were only seven Hispanics and fewer than 200 African-Americans on the fire department and no females? Where was he when Hispanics and African-Americans were being discriminated against?
Affirmative action, with enforced quotas or not, has given thousands of Hispanics and African-Americans access to jobs they may not otherwise have had. Affirmative action may not be perfect, but is a lot better than the alternative.
