A `No' vote on Proposal 2 is a vote against discrimination

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has long been a defender of the Constitution, and has been at the forefront when civil liberties have been violated or jeopardized. This is particularly true for discrimination, an undeniable wrong. A constant theme in the American narrative is that the civil liberties of the most vulnerable segments of America are traditionally the most at risk, and usually the first to go. Women, people of color and the poor have been the first victims of discrimination, whose civil liberties are categorically eliminated.

Most important, is that discrimination does not exist in a vacuum, and it was not introduced by the advocates of affirmative action and equal opportunity. Rather, those urging our state to vote ``No'' on Proposal 2, the so-called Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI), understand that discrimination now and in the past is why we still need affirmative action and equal opportunity programs. The threat against the civil liberties of women and people of color is ultimately a threat to everyone's civil liberties and to the Constitution itself. This is why the ACLU and more than 200 other organizations actively oppose Proposal 2 -- the MCRI.

In his op-ed of Sept. 17, Bruce Stein, although a fine civil libertarian, is dead wrong on this issue. He falsely claims that affirmative action is discrimination, and makes simplistic and ultimately incorrect comparisons between real discrimination, on the basis of race and gender, and affirmative action, one of the best cures for discrimination. Contrary to Bruce's argument, a ``No'' vote in November on Proposal 2 is the quickest way to equality and a color-blind society.

Bruce's argument that affirmative action constitutes discrimination is based on the premise that this country's greatness is founded on meritocracy: a system of advancement based on ability or achievement. However, meritocracy is a myth. It has never existed in this country. There has always been an elite group starting the race for opportunity 50 yards ahead of women, the poor and people of color, who, in turn, have been held back from the starting line by everything from Jim Crow, to the lack of educational equity and parity, and by glass-ceiling sexism.

So clear is the recognition that racism is alive, well and institutionalized here in this community, that its leadership was continuing the fight against it at the Third Annual Summit on Racism held Sept. 22. The notion that we live in a color-blind society, where merit is the only consideration, is not only disingenuous, it is flatly incorrect. For instance, unless women are allowed the ability to compete equally with men, which is what affirmative action provides, they will continue to earn 67 cents for every male dollar, as is the case today in Michigan.

Affirmative action lets women and people of color start the race for opportunity from the same starting line as white males. But from that point on, they are on their own. Whether they finish ahead or behind is where the real measure of merit should be. The students admitted to the University of Michigan; Latino workers employed by Kalamazoo County; women and minorities participating in public contracting as minority owned businesses still must rely on their own achievement and ability to successfully perform.

According to Bruce, and the proponents of Proposal 2, the very programs that try to diversify business, the trades, industry and higher education, where the presence of women and people of color is lacking, qualify as discriminatory. But leading Fortune 500 CEOs and Chambers of Commerce across the state consider affirmative action a business prerequisite, articulating that a diverse and representative workforce is an essential component of any smart business strategy. Our state, currently spiraling economically downward, can ill afford to subscribe to the reactionary lead of a wealthy Californian and his fringe following, and must safeguard affirmative action to attract more jobs into Michigan. Jennifer Granholm and Dick DeVos know this, and both stand against Proposal 2.

The disparity between white America and people of color in Michigan is an undeniable reality and an impediment for real competition in a meritocracy. By condemning people of color for their alleged failure to measure up to a white male is the product of institutional racism that penetrates all walks of life in the country, and whose elimination is the ultimate goal of affirmative action. Americans have never been similarly situated, and laws have long been used as an instrument to perpetuate this inequality. Those Michigan women who earn 67 cents to every dollar earned by men in the same line of work still have to pay the same price for gas, bread and milk. This year's incoming student body class at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), where affirmative action has been abolished since 1996, will only have 96 African-American students (2 percent), the majority of whom are athletes. Yet, African-Americans in California pay the very taxes that fund this great public university.

The ACLU is deeply committed to defeating discrimination, particularly the misleading MCRI banner which seeks to turn the clock back on civil liberties and civil rights in Michigan. Our unbending commitment to equal protection and the Constitution urges us to stand against the MCRI, and urge Michigan voters to vote ``No'' on Proposal 2 in November.