ACTIVISTS EXPECT FIGHT : PASSING CIVIL RIGHTS INITIATIVE COULD UNITE STATE, SUPPORTERS SAY.Byline: Mark Katches and Sara Catania Daily News Staff Writers A day after an anti-affirmative action measure qualified for the Nov. 5 ballot, supporters predicted a divisive di·vi·sive adj. Creating dissension or discord. di·vi  sive·ly adv.di·vi campaign but asserted that passage of the proposal would help heal racial wounds in the state. The California Civil Rights Initiative would end the current system of preferences in the government, campaign chairman Ward Connerly Wardell Connerly (born June 15, 1939) is a political activist, businessman, and former University of California Regent. He is also the founder and the chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, a national non-profit organization in opposition to racial and gender preferences. said at a news conference across the street from the state Capitol in Sacramento on Wednesday. ``It is an opportunity for the people of California, for men and women of all races and national backgrounds, to come together and just say no to discrimination - just say no to preferences,'' he said. Connerly, an African-American who is also a member of the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Board of Regents An independent governing body that oversees a state's public Colleges and Universities. All 50 states have governing bodies that oversee the administration of public education. , faced harsh criticism in recent months as he led the regents' vote to end affirmative action affirmative action, in the United States, programs to overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women. in admissions to UC. campuses. On Wednesday he reiterated his commitment to broadening the fight. ``I believe that a preference to some based on their racial identity is a disadvantage to others for the same reason,'' said Connerly, flanked by the initiative's co-authors. Opponents of the measure disputed Connerly's claims. ``The measure is not going to bring anyone together,'' said Cynthia Anderson-Barker, president of the National Lawyers Guild. ``Racial discrimination is rooted in our nation's history. It is programs like affirmative action that have helped bring diversity to groups like bar associations.'' The National Lawyers Guild has joined with 14 other lawyer groups to form the Joint Bar Coalition specifically to battle the Civil Rights Initiative. The coalition is planning a press conference at 11:30 a.m. today on the steps of the Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . The group will also begin running ads in community newspapers today to rally opposition. At the beginning of the year, the initiative seemed certain to fall short of the required signatures. But a strong push by Connerly and Gov. Pete Wilson For others named Pete Wilson, see . Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. Wilson served as the thirty-sixth Governor of California (1991–1999), the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that helped jump start the petition drive. The initiative was certified See certification. for the November ballot Tuesday when Secretary of State Bill Jones announced that 770,484 signatures collected were deemed valid, pushing the initiative over the 762,553 limit. Democrats have said they will try to use the issue of gender - less so than race - to turn women against the initiative. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Ward Connerly Leads initiative campaign |
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