The current attempt to turn back the clock by banning affirmative action programs in Missouri is generated by people who reside outside this state, including the controversial and misguided Ward Connerly.
Connerly has made it clear that his personal mission is to eliminate affirmative action programs throuhgout the nation. But he can’t do it alone. And he can’t do it if there is effective resistance from levelheaded and fair people who realize the importance of diversity and inclusion.
Though he cloaks his disingenuous efforts in the mantle of “civil rights,” Connerly allies himself with individuals who do not have the black community’s best interest in mind when it comes to political, social or economic measures.
Those leading this antebellum thinking want to use the words of the Civil Rights Movement to trick voters into thinking they are actually voting for fairness and inclusion, when nothing could be further from the truth.
They also seek to appropriate the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other martyrs to soothe their own consciences because they know many people who support them would love to live in a segregated society – with blacks being second-class citizens.
They want admission of minority students to the state’s public law schools to plummet like in California. They want minority-owned business that are just beginning to reach sizeable capacity to struggle, if not close permanently.
They want the black community to suffer, not prosper.
Missouri voters should not be fooled by Connerly and his pack of zealots.
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan did her due diligence in crafting accurate ballot language that describes what Connerly and company intend to do – ban affirmative action programs in Missouri. Because her plain and accurate language unmasks their efforts, Connerly and Tim Asher have filed suit against her. Cole County Judge Richard G. Callahan will begin hearing arguments in this case on Dec. 17, and we expect he will judge the ballot language to be faithful to the intent of the initiative.
If properly described, their initiative can be defeated by Missouri voters. Missouri needs more, not less, minority participation in education and business. Mainstreaming more African Americans ensures solid benefits for the entire community, and banning affirmative action programs will certainly close many doors of opportunity currently left open for African Americans.