Affirmative Action: do we still need it?

As we know the recently on January 20Th, senator Barack Obama was sworn in to presidency as the 44th president of the united states also he is the first African American president in U.S. history, so the question is now that our president is African American do we still need affirmative action?



the meaning:
The term affirmative action refers to policies that take gender, race, or ethnicity into account in an attempt to promote equal opportunity. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and public contracting to educational outreach and health programs (such as breast or prostate cancer screenings). The impetus towards affirmative action is twofold: to maximize the benefits of diversity in all levels of society, and to redress disadvantages due to overt, institutional, or involuntary discrimination.
(copy pasted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action)

affirmative action Allows the African American Population to have more opportunities at getting jobs and other things in society, but i think we don't need this anymore, and my reason is not the fact that our president is African American, I think that everyone is capable of working in society through their academic achievements and their own experiences.

Being of color is not a short comings, just because a person is of color doesn't mean they deserve a Handicap parking spot. i believe any human being is able to achieve greatness disregarding the color of their skin. the U.S. government in a way is showing more racism by giving this "fast pass" to people of color. in a way it is telling the people that "you are still not as good as us that's why we are making things easier for you." affirmative action might be disguised as an apology but it is still racist politics. and that's why i believe we don't need it. and my argument has nothing to do with Obama cause that is irrelevant