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NEWS & LETTERS, December 2006 - January 2007Racist law voted inDetroit--Proposal 2, mistakenly called the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, was approved statewide by 62% to 41%. The proposal bans the use of affirmative action in considering qualifications for hiring, promotion, and admission to public programs in Michigan. It was modeled after a similar proposal spearheaded by Ward Connerly in California three years ago. The state coordinator was Jennifer Gratz, who unsuccessfully sued the University of Michigan for not admitting her to law school. Her suit was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 after much public protest against it. The president of the University of Michigan, Dr. Mary Sue Coleman, has vowed to maintain diversity. A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the proposal has been filed by the group which has led protests for affirmative action at the University, BAMN (By Any Means Necessary.) Experts seem to think that this lawsuit will not succeed. People in Detroit are worried about the future of training and recruitment programs designed to bring minorities and women into areas in which they are scarce. There are feelings of anger and disappointment among African Americans, who see the vote as just one more attempt to deny them equal access to opportunities. Everyone talks about poor schools in Detroit and other cities, where students are years behind in learning required material. But those who oppose affirmative action simply do not care, as long as they get theirs. --Susan Van Gelder |
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