The hypocrisy of the lefties knows no bounds.
Don't blame this solely on the left.
This "hypocrisy" was embedded in the 1960s Civil Rights legislation which said that "protected classes," due to "historical discrimination," were entitled to special treatment.
This "hypocrisy" was supported at the time by many Republicans and conservatives as a rational way to redress past wrongs.
Conservatives of that era who opposed to such measures -- Goldwater? -- were denounced as "extremists" by more respectable Republicans.
Establishment Republicans publicly embraced Civil Rights legislation promoting affirmative action. I think that included Jacob Javits, Nelson Rockefeller, and even Nixon and Ford.
By the 1980s, I don't recall even Buckley or Reagan or Kemp doing much pushback. Probably afraid to be called racist.