Initiatives Generally
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All of the initiatives are very similar, if not identical. The basic portion of each initiative aims to amend the state constitution to read as follows:
[State Name] Civil Rights Initiative:
The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.
The text of the initiative is misleading. It makes no mention of the fact that it eliminates all state affirmative action programs, and co-opts civil rights movement language for a purpose completely at odds with the goals of that movement.
The initiative has had serious impact on diversity in the states where it has passed. For more information about the impact the initiative has upon diversity in employment, education, and contracting, see the links below.
For more information on Ward Connerly, who his backers are, and how much he is paid for his work, see the informational links below.
Information on Connerly and the Initiatives
Proposition 209 - California
California passed Proposition 209 in 1996, amending the state constitution to ban affirmative action programs in public education, employment and contracting. This ban has significantly decreased minority enrollment in the University of California system, especially the graduate and professional schools. It has also caused an extreme drop in the number of women- and minority-owned businesses; those businesses that survived now receive a much smaller portion of government contracting dollars.
More information on Proposition 209:
The California Coalition to Analyze the Impact of Proposition 209
Impacts of Proposition 209 Fact Sheet
Impact on Primary and Secondary Education:
Proposition 209 Doesn’t Affect Magnet Schools, Judicial Panel Rules – Los Angeles Times – December 20, 2008
Impact on Higher Education:
Separate But Certainly Not Equal - Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA - April 2004
(E)racing Race, Erasing Access - Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA - November 2005
Admissions and Omissions: How “The Numbers” Are Used to Exclude Deserving Students – Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA – June 2006
“Merit Matters”: Race, Myth, and UCLA Admissions – Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA – September 2006
Status Report on the Diversity of the University of California Medical Student Body – The Greenlining Institute – Spring 2008
Diversity Gap Grows in UC Med Schools, Says Report – New America Media – July 22, 2008
Students Recruit Minorities to UC in Ways Institution Can’t – The Mercury News – August 6, 2008
UCLA Accused of Illegal Admissions Practices – Los Angeles Times – August 30, 2008
UCLA’s New Admission Policy Rights a Wrong – Los Angeles Times – September 7, 2008
Impact on Contracting and Employment:
Key Findings: Affirmative Action in Contracting & Employment
Free to Compete? Measuring the Impact of Proposition 209 on Minority Business Enterprises – Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice (UC Berkeley School of Law) – August 2006
A Vision Fulfilled? The Impact of Proposition 209 on Equal Opportunity for Women Business Enterprises – Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice (UC Berkeley School of Law) – September 2007
Proposal 2 - Michigan
Michigan passed Proposal 2 in 2006, amending the state constitution to ban affirmative action programs in public education, employment and contracting. Though the complete effects of this most recent ban are not known, the initial results are again discouraging. The University of Michigan reported that its minority enrollment decreased after passage.
In December 2006, several groups, including the ACLU and NAACP, sought a declaratory ruling that interpreting the amendment to bar consideration of race as one among many factors in admissions decisions at public universities violates the Equal Protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. The District Court, however, dismissed the suit in March 2008.
More information on Proposal 2:
Khaled Ali Beydoun, Without Color of Law: The Losing Race Against Colorblindness in Michigan, 12 Mich. J. Race & L. 465 (2007).
The Potential Impact of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative on Employment, Education, and Contracting - Susan Kaufmann
The Gender Impact of the Proposed Michigan Civil Rights Initiative - Susan Kaufmann and Anne Davis
Non-Profit Aims to Advance Diversity in Michigan - PR Newswire - June 11, 2008
Proposal 2 Dealt a Cruel Blow to Minority Students – Muskegon Chronicle – September 19, 2008
Opponent of Anti-Affirmative Action Measure Wins Final Battle – The Michigan Citizen – October 14, 2008
U-M Reports Slight Decline in Minority Enrollment – The Detroit News – October 20, 2008
Ward Connerly
Ward Connerly is the spokesperson for these initiatives, which are funded by private donors that have included Rupert Murdoch and John Moores, Sr. Connerly is also a lobbyist for the construction industry. His campaigns have employed deception and outright voter fraud to get the initiative onto the ballot.
More information on Ward Connerly, his backers, and his tactics:
The Big Money Behind Ward Connerly - Lee Cokorinos (Equal Justice Society)
Excerpt, "Good Ole Boys" - Katherine Spillar (Ms. Magazine)
Ward Connerly - Fraudbusters (Ballot Initiative Strategy Center)
Eastern District of Michigan Judicial Opinion - finding that systematic voter fraud was employed by Connerly's campaign
Ward Connerly: The Color of Money – Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
Black Businessman Fights Affirmative Action – MSNBC – October 5, 2008
Who Is Ward Connerly? Fact Sheet - BAMN
