Mixed Election Results on Affirmative Action

Sonia Pena

Mixed Election Results on Affirmative Action

by Sonia Peña

Although this country just elected its first Black President, ballot measures to ban affirmative action such as those in Colorado and Nebraska will continue to put issues of race up front. Join our allies at the Equal Justice Society for a call to learn from the experiences of activists at the forefront of these fights. In Nebraska, Initiative 424 to Ban on Affirmative Action passed 52-48%. In the fight against Colorado Amendment 46, the race has not yet been called, but it looks like it might lose!

**Save the Date **

December 2nd: Post-Election Analysis of National Efforts to Preserve Equal Opportunity
Tuesday, December 2nd 2008
2pm – 4pm (ET)/11am-1pm (PT)

Please join us for a web-based discussion about the national status of Equal Opportunity in the wake of the 2008 elections, and the outcome of anti-opportunity ballot measures called “Civil Rights Initiatives”

* Representatives from Nebraskans United and Colorado Unity, the state-based coalitions working to protect racial and gender equity;
* Anurima Bhargava, Director of the Education Practice of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund;
* Alan Jenkins, Executive Director of the Opportunity Agenda;
* Joel Foster, Deputy Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center;
* Ellen Buchman, Vice-President for Field Operations and Anjali Thakur, Director of Americans for a Fair Chance project of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund.

You'll also learn about what you can do to support state and national efforts to promote racial and gender equality.

To RSVP, please contact Sara Jackson at sjackson@equaljusticesociety.org by November 14th 2008.

Posted at 1:31 PM, Nov 06, 2008 in Affirmative Action | Permalink | View Comments

Comments

Stats on Nebraska ballot vote to ban affirmative action actually won 58% to 42% according to CNN. I expect the ultra-right to focus their attacks on undocumented immigrants and more of the Ward Connerly ballot initiatives on affirmative action. Their goal will be to divide the working class and win over as many white workers(and union members) as possible. Especially in these horrendous economic times, white workers will have to choose which allies offer them the greater economic prospect - siding with workers and people of color in the US and throughout the world, or siding with huge corporate global entities and their policies of divide and conquer working folks to maximize their control and profits. I look forward to the discussion of these issues.