which u s president first defined and used the term affirmative action 
that was president john f kennedy he did so in 1961 telling federal contractors to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are treated equally without regard to race color religion sex or national origin 6the bottom linethough affirmative action continues to be a source of controversy for some such programs are a reality for all government contracted businesses what s more many other employers choose to implement affirmative action programs as a helpful way to foster transparency in hiring and promotions and diversity in the workplace 