JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.
Tim Asher sat calmly and appeared unfazed moments before he was to address a roomful of Hispanic leaders, some of whom were likely to be hostile to his message that Missouri should end affirmative action programs based on race and gender.
In recent months, Asher, 45, has become accustomed to speaking before skeptical crowds like this one at Hispanic Day at the Capitol.
Asher, with his boy-next-door looks, has become the face of the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative.
The initiative calls for an end to racial and gender preferences in public higher education and state and local government.
If Asher and a cadre of hundreds of signature-gatherers collect enough names on their petitions by Friday, the issue will be brought before voters on the November ballot.
