No, Affirmative Action is NOT a race-based policy. You have taken on the view of people who deliberately want to mislead you. Affirmative Action is meant to ensure that institutions of higher learning and corporations GO BEYOND THE USUAL SUSPECTS for their applicant pool. The "beyond the usual suspects" at that time included blacks, women, Spanish-speaking students, indigenous people, and Asians.

Colleges can, and should, consider factors beyond test scores for college admission. A test score is one point in an array of data about any individual, and, as you know, high test scores can be attained by the privileges that come with wealth, from a society (like Asians) that place a high value on academic achievement, or, by cheating.

No, society is not fair and equal, and it will never be made thus. However, it can be made more fair and equal. We need the powers-that-be, however, to admit that privilege furthers inequality and that less-privileged people have equal abilities, but higher hoops over which to jump.