"Thank our lucky stars, we have Ward Connerly. "
Posted on 08/05/2003 6:27:41 PM PDT by blam
Californian angst over affirmative action poll
By Hugh Davies in Los Angeles
(Filed: 06/08/2003)
A prominent black conservative's attempt to create what he calls a "colour-blind" California is causing tension in the already angst-ridden "recall" election of the state governor, Gray Davis.
Ward Connerly, 64, a wealthy Republican on the board of regents at the University of California, has had an anti-affirmative action initiative put on the Oct 7 ballot. Petitioners have forced the election that could remove Mr Davis, a Democrat, from office before his due term expires.
Californians will now also be asked to decide if the state should be the first to ditch official affirmative action practices established by the black civil rights movement.
If agreed, all state and local government offices would be prohibited, for example, from using ethnicity or national origin in choosing the proportion of students or staff at a school or university.
While there are exemptions for law enforcement, medical research and federal programmes, critics say it would amount to outlawing virtually all racial data collection.
Opposition to the move is fierce. Mr Connerly's fellow regents say it would hinder academic research.
Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, said: "California is the Petri dish for this evil bacteria. It is likely to spread to other states, so we are going to do all we can to stop Ward Connerly right now."
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