Analysis
This short article was based upon a rally that opponents to Proposal 2 held in downtown Grand Rapids. The keynote speaker was from the national Urban League and is the first person cited in this story. The other sources cited in the story were Mayor Heartwell, a man at the rally who opposed Proposal 2, and Jennifer Gratz, with the organization that put the Proposal on the ballot. The story mentions that “The ballot measure is championed by Ward Connerly,” but offers no information on what role he has played in Michigan. There is also mention of an August poll by the Detroit News, but no methodology of the poll was provided. Did this story provide voters with any new information in order to make an informed vote?
Article Text
GRAND RAPIDS — The president of the National Urban League turned to a fairy tale for comparison on a proposed ban on affirmative action in Michigan.
That plan, said former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, is a “sinister wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Morial was among several speakers Monday in downtown Grand Rapids to denounce the November ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to ban some types of affirmative action in Michigan.
Morial denounces Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, the name backers chose for the measure. He contends it was a cynical attempt to fool voters.
“The idea is to drive a wedge between people,” he said.
He was joined by speakers including Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, Grand Rapids Community College President Juan Olivarez, Grand Rapids NAACP President Hazel Lewis and Walter Brame, president of the Grand Rapids Urban League.
But looking out at a crowd of about 100, Morial warned the measure could pass without a concerted effort to defeat it.
“Those of us who want to see this proposal defeated have work ahead of us,” he said.
Heartwell said: “I don’t know how people could be unaware” of what is at stake.
“People have to turn out to vote,” he said.
Wearing a sign that read “Another White For Affirmative Action,” Grand Rapids resident Derek DeVries, 29, believes affirmative action is good for all races.
“It just think it’s a terrible piece of legislation,” he said of the proposed ban.
Voter opinion on the measure has been hard to gauge. While early polls showed widespread support for an affirmative action ban, recent polls find the electorate split or leaning toward support.
A poll in August by The Detroit News found voters were split at 47 percent, while one this month found the initiative leading 49 to 33 percent.
The ballot measure is championed by Ward Connerly, chairman of the Sacramento, Calif.-based American Civil Rights Coalition. If passed, it would ban race or gender as a factor in university admissions and state hiring or contracting.
Backers of the measure said it is simply a means to ensure all are treated fairly.
“A yes vote is a vote for equal opportunity. When my opponents say equal opportunity, they are really saying unequal opportunity,” said Jennifer Gratz, 29, executive director of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.
Gratz, who is white, was a plaintiff in the suit alleging discrimination for admissions in the undergraduate program at the University of Michigan. In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the university’s affirmative action policy, finding it violated constitutional equal-protection provisions.
Related posts:
- Urban League Issues Report on Affirmative Action and Proposal 2; Jesse Jackson to Visit Grand Rapids Tomorrow
- White Supremacist Leader Discusses “Victory” of Proposal 2
- Urban League Report on “Obstructing and Resisting” Now Online
- Forum Takes Up Proposal to Ban Affirmative Action
- Election Board Fails to Certify Affirmative Action Ballot Proposal
