Diversity matters in an increasingly changing world that depends on people from many backgrounds and life experiences to make America’s global economy sound. Next Tuesday, the people of Colorado and Nebraska will have an opportunity to affirm this principle, and show California, Washington and Michigan that the citizens of these great states are looking toward the future.
The financial meltdown has proven that our nation needs every person from all races, ethnicities and backgrounds to contribute to the revitalization of our economy.
In 1996, 55 percent of California voters approved Proposition 209, the ballot initiative that bars the use of equal opportunity programs by state-funded educational and government institutions. Two years later a similar initiative in Washington garnered 59 percent of the vote. Both states have suffered a rapid decline in minority enrollment and are feeling the impact in other areas of their economy as well.
The Colorado and Nebraska ballot initiatives against equal opportunity programs in higher education, public contracting and hiring —Amendment 46 and Initiative 424 — threatens the prosperity of everyone, not just people of color. Students will be hard hit, but the two states will be the greatest losers.
Back in 1961, 134,000 black students attended predominantly white colleges and universities around the country. Now millions do. This increased diversity has had a positive effect on our nation – socially, politically and economically.
But initiatives like Amendment 46 and Initiative 424 are not only a vote against fairness and opening doors to all, they undermine the possibilities yet within our reach.
Voters need to ask a simple question: If all equal opportunity programs ended today, would we have a level playing field for women, blacks, Hispanics and the chronically poor? Would programs that focus on college admissions, government contracts and employment fare better?
