Is "equal opportunity employer" and "affirmative action employer" an oxymoron?

I wholly believe in equal opportunity. But doesn't affirmative action mean that someone who is a minority might be hired over me simply to fulfill some ratio. When I see these two things together, I think they are saying, "Everyone is equal in our eyes when it comes to hiring, unless you are of a minority color, then you are more important because you make us look good." Same thing with African American scholarships. I can't get one of those but there is no such thing as a caucasian only scholarship. Your thoughts?