In addition to what others have said, this paper serves to directly address a very common talking point.

I agree, that’s how it should work, but unfortunately it doesn’t. What happens is that minorities don’t get accepted in no matter how qualified they are because the people reviewing applicants are bigoted.

Also, candidates don’t have a single “power level” representing their worthiness. Among the candidates who are sufficiently qualified, what makes someone more qualified is of great subjectivity. Like, one candidate might have more work experience, but the other gets along with the team better.

Affirmative action wasn’t perfect and was never meant to last forever, but it was good enough for the time being.