How did unions “protest”?

The decision states that legislation cannot overcome social prejudice. can it reinforce social prejudice? how?

Awaiver of the requirement for documentation of informed consent may be granted when: the investigator has no convenient place to store signed consent forms separate from the research datathe only record linking the subject and the research is the consent document and the principal risk is a breach of confidentiality.potential subjects might find some of the research questions embarrassing, personal, or intrusivethe subjects are literate in their own language; however, they do not read, write, or speak english

What is affirmative action as a social program intended to accomplish? do you think it has been successful? what are some specific examples that you can offer to support your answer? this is for my multicultural studies class i need asap !