To Nsplayr’s point, I volunteer with Young Eagles when I can; over the years I think I’m up to about 3 or 4 black kids who, when asked, “so what’d you think man, want to be a pilot now!?” responded with, “well I can’t be a pilot because I’m black.” Wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t been the one they were talking to. So why’d they answer that way? Well, the short of it is they’ve been fed a complete bullshit lie about life, this country, and the people in it. And unfortunately after a little more talking to them, my feeling has been they’ve received most/all of the bullshit POV from friends and relatives, NOT from the KKK guy down the street shouting slurs at them. The communities they live in are so uninformed/misinformed and continue to internally propagate completely false narratives against themselves. To that end, I completely support outreach/educational efforts in these communities - I want every minority kid to know they can be a pilot if they so choose, and at the end of their adolescence road, I have no problem if none of these kids are selected if they don’t make the bar, but if they do make the bar, then welcome on board and I’m glad to have you!
Now, quotas and going for specific percentages - that’s bullshit and a complete miss. Targeted informational outreach and recruiting, but without any affirmative action bullshit, would be a good thing.