>>40 years ago I supported affirmative action because the racist assumption was probably true often enough. Once the reality set in (racial quotas putting unqualified people in jobs ahead of better qualified "majority" applicants) my support waned and today I think the laws are totally anachronistic.
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>You speak my mind. I too was once a supporter. No longer.

The best way, IMO, is when it's possible to hire anonymously. Supply a double blind test or something, and then just pick on merit. I know I got my first job when I was able to just submit papers and be accepted unseen - they surely weren't happy to take in a long haired bearded weirdo nerdo. OK, they changed their mind later, having seen me work, but this was about the only way to get across that initial barrier - before that, many doors remained closed.

So, having been on the other side (for different reasons, but just enough to to know how it feels to be discriminated against), when I was hiring, I really didn't care who they were, but what were they able to do. When we needed a secretary, we called the high school of economy, and asked for the names of their top three graduates of the latest crop - matched those with the list of candidates from the employment bureau, and scheduled an interview. She turned out great and stayed with us until the end.