For the NNPA
BALTIMORE (NNPA) — The voters of Michigan voted to ban affirmative action programs in the state’s universities and its government. The initiative, known as Proposal 2, passed, 58 percent to 42 percent despite the fact that it was criticized by civil rights advocates, feminists, academics and political leaders of both the Democratic and Republican parties.
An ad-hoc organization, By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal district court in Detroit on Nov. 8 to stop the implementation of the election’s outcome.
The NAACP released a statement criticizing the outcome.
”It goes without saying that we are disappointed,” NAACP President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce S. Gordon said in a statement. ”This is a setback. It is clear that we have work to do to convince our fellow citizens that affirmative action has made us stronger as a nation and still has a role to play.
”It is critical that all citizens understand the role affirmative action plays in the creation of a diverse education and business workforce.”
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) said the passage of Proposal 2 was ”very, very sad.” University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman has been outspoken in her opposition to Proposal 2 and said that she will work to fight it.
The ban was passed in light of statistics that show that the University of Michigan has been a leader in the enrollment of Black students. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education released U.S. Department of Education statistics in its Nov. 9 edition that said Michigan had 1,834 Black students – the highest number among the ”Top 30” universities.
Michigan has 39,000 students, with 25,000 in the undergraduate division and 14,000 in the graduate/professional schools. {The Journal} said Michigan is expected to be surpassed by the University of North Carolina in the enrollment of Black students in 2006 because the enrollment of Black freshman fell sharply to 330.
Michigan is recognized around the world as one of the finest public universities in the United States. Even as the Michigan legislature has cut funding in recent years due to a shaky economy, the university has made up for it by its successful fundraising.
Unlike many flagship state universities, Michigan does not have a quota on the number of out-of-state students. Plus, unlike states such as Texas, there is no law that mandates that the valedictorian of a central city school must get a scholarship to the institution.
The NAACP cited other examples of the devastating effects of affirmative action bans on the enrollment of Black students:
* The 2000 entering class at UCLA’s law school was 1.4 percent Black compared to 10 percent before the 1996 ban on affirmative action;
* The number of women faculty in the University of California system has decreased 22 percent since the ban;
* Contracts to women and minority firms have decreased in Washington state 25 percent since its ban, according to the Seattle Times.
*At the University of Texas Law School, Latino admissions have been cut in half since that state’s ban.
If Proposal 2 withstands court challenges, being Black or a woman could not be a positive in the admissions process.
Proposal 2 passed under the misnomer of ”The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative,” which stated, in sum, that race could not be a factor in admissions to the state’s universities or in employment with the state government.
Financial aid and scholarship funds based on race would also be banned if Proposal 2 is implemented.
Ward Connerly, a Black businessman, helped to pass a similar measure in California a few years ago. Connerly believes that race-sensitive remedies in favor of minorities is just as discriminatory as laws and practices favoring Whites were several decades ago.