Affirmative action was needed in America since minorities were disenfranchised for decades; they needed a ladder to climb out of the hole that they were pushed into by white people of the past.
Supreme court has struck AA down and while I'm upset I also think we need a new type of affirmative action that the latter should have prioritized; class status. Minority groups in America tend to be of low socio economic status so by focusing an affirmative action type policy we would simultaneously bring in Minority groups and lower status white groups into higher education; it's class solidarity.