The Study of Racialism

Powell · Guru Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2453 }

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Published November 29, 2004

Racial-ban critics courting women
Proposal leaders seek to put issue on ballot in '06

By Chris Andrews
Lansing State Journal

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Supporters of changing the Michigan Constitution to prohibit affirmative action: www.michigancivilrights.org

Opponents of the ban: www.oneunitedmichigan.org

As foes of racial preferences collect signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment, affirmative action supporters are lining up women's groups to help defeat the measure.

Leaders of the drive to put the issue on the 2006 ballot say they are confident they will get the required 318,000 valid signatures.

They expect to turn in the petitions in January; they would not say how many signatures they have gathered so far.

While much of the debate surrounding the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative is framed in terms of race, the measure prohibits gender preferences in public institutions as well.

Women's groups - including the League of Women Voters, Business and Professional Women/Michigan and the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for Women - have come out against the amendment.

Attorney Patricia Donath, former president of the League of Women Voters of Michigan, said women's groups want to help educate the public about affirmative action and how it has expanded opportunities for women to become doctors, university presidents and high-ranking politicians.

"That whole sequence of change can partly be said to be a result of affirmative action and people consciously looking at how society was segmented and who was in power," Donath said.

The proposal would ban preferential treatment based on race or gender in public employment, public education and public contracting. Voters in California and the state of Washington passed similar measures in the 1990s.

Supporters of the constitutional amendment banning preferences say they are trying to ensure that everyone is treated equally.

"Women and men of all ethnicities will support this initiative," said state Rep. Leon Drolet, R-Clinton Township. "People in this country have a strong sense of justice, and they very strongly want everyone to have equal opportunity."

Supporters of the proposal initially hoped to put the question on this year's ballot. But petition gathering was slowed by a court ruling - ultimately overturned - that the question was improperly worded.

Early polls show the idea of banning racial preferences has strong appeal.

An EPIC-MRA poll conducted in March, offering a brief description of the measure, showed voters favoring it, 64 percent to 22 percent.

The poll of 600 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

"It is beatable, but it's going to be very difficult," said EPIC-MRA Vice President Ed Sarpolus. "A natural tendency of voters is not to support affirmative action-type programs no matter what you call it."

Contact Chris Andrews at 377-1054 or candrews@lsj.com.