The issue is that lots of minorities didn't have the opportunity due to years of systematic discrimination. Affirmative actions counter that. Yes, eventually they need to be removed but I don't think we are at that point in time.

For example, the effects of the crack epidemic in the 80s and 90s can still be felt today. Where disregard for how black communities are affected by this lead to a much worse situation for them than other communities. And calling it a "disregard" might even be a very lenient interpretation of what happened.

Minorities still have a harder time getting a job due to discrimination. So children growing up don't have the same opportunity. They grow up in worse school districts because they live in poorer neighborhoods. Then they fall behind academically way more often because of that. Moving to better school districts is also harder for them due to not having the same job opportunities.

And even if they land a good job the discrimination doesn't stop there. There is discrimination going on in real estate. Homes owned by minorities are often appraised lower. So wealth of minorities doesn't rise at the same rate. And even renting is more difficult, landlords are less likely to respond to inquiries from people with "foreign sounding names".

All of these things mean minorities don't have anywhere near the same opportunity getting prepared for a good college. Affirmative action will help breaking this cycle. I fully agree it's not a permanent solution but it's still necessary for now.