Since Proposition 54's passage will make it much more difficult to fight and attack all forms of racism, segregation, and discrimination in general, I think we should call it for what it truly is: the Institutionalized Racism Protection Act of 2003.
Recently, in conversations I have been having with
politically progressive friends, I've been alarmed to
discover that many of them were completely unaware of
the fact that the October 7th recall election for
Governor Gray Davis is going to include a ballot
initiative to vote on which will have serious
consequences in the fight against racism, segregation,
and discrimination should it become law.
Proposition 54, otherwise known as the "Racial Privacy
Initiative" by its primary sponsor, Ward Connerly,
will basically make it illegal for schools,
universities, and other public agencies in California
to collect data on the race, color, ethnicity, or
national origin of persons they survey, research, or
become somehow involved with in one way or another.
Although ostensibly touted as a way of making
California truly "colorblind," it is my opinion that
this initiative will have the exact opposite effect:
it will protect and reinforce various forms of
institutionalized racism, segregation and
discrimination practiced by both public and private
entities.
Restricting the collection of such data not only will
make it far more difficult to determine if businesses
or other entities are engaging in discriminatory
practices that affect the health and well-being of
persons of various racial or ethnic categories, but it
makes it harder to file civil rights litigation
against them as a remedy.
Since Proposition 54's passage will make it much more
difficult to fight and attack all forms of racism,
segregation, and discrimination in general, I think we
should call it for what it truly is: the
Institutionalized Racism Protection Act of 2003.
Although Secretary of State Kevin Shelley has
scheduled Proposition 54 to be voted on in the October
7th recall election, its still unclear if it will be
on the ballot then. Last week, two lawsuits were filed
in U.S. Federal Courts by civil rights organizations
and other interested parties seeking to stop
Proposition 54 from being included on the October 7th
ballot. And the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting
that attorneys for Governor Gray Davis will soon ask
the California Supreme Court to move the recall
election to next year, arguing that voters will be
"disenfranchised" since counties don't have enough
time to prepare for it.
Since it's too early to tell if any of these litigants
will prevail in their efforts, we need to act under
the assumption that the recall election is going to be
held on October 7th and that Proposition 54 will be on
the ballot at that time. It is imperative that we
immediately start becoming educated about it now so we
can defeat it when the time comes for us to cast our
ballots.
Right now, I myself am in the process of trying to
organize a forum on Proposition 54, and have
tentatively scheduled it for the afternoon of
Saturday, August 30, 2003 at the Unitarian Church of
Orange County in Anaheim. (I'll send out another
announcement about this later when I get all the
details straightened out)
In the meanwhile, I strongly urge everybody perusing
this message to go to the following URLs and begin
learning more about what Proposition 54 will actually
do if it becomes enacted into law:
http://www.informedcalifornia.org/facts.shtml
http://www.aclu-sc.org/attachments/9101/Prop54_infopack.pdf
Regardless of however you feel about the recall
election, it's very important for all of us do our
part in encouraging as many people as possible to
learn about Proposition 54 and get them out to the
polls to vote "NO" on it.
It can and will be defeated!
Sincerely,
Duane J. Roberts
duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com
Original: Vote "NO" on Proposition 54