Living King's dream.

It is ironic that at the same time Proposition 209, the so-called California Civil Rights Initiative, was being passed during November's general election, the contents of the now notorious Texaco tapes were released to the public. Those tapes document the fact that top executive of the company were engaging in the kind of blatant racial discrimination that is common knowledge among African Americans in corporate America, but rarely revealed to the general public. They also provide graphic proof that, contrary to the claims of proponents of Proposition 209, affirmative action remains a necessary countermeasure against such discrimination. Just as the videotape of Rodney King's beating at the hands of Los Angeles police officers sensitized an entire nation to the reality of excessive force, the Texaco tape are forcing us to face racism as a poisonous factor in hiring and advancement decisions, even at the highest levels of corporate America.

Even more ironic - as we approach the eleventh annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday this month - is how often opponents of affirmative action provide moral justification for their position by selectively quoting King's words in a context directly contradictory to his intent as a champion of civil rights and racial equality. They refer piously to King's Dream of being judged "not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character" to create the impression that Dr. King himself, were he alive today, would support Proposition 209, and other efforts to eliminate race-based affirmative action.

It is shamefully disrespectful for any of us to dare to predict what Dr. King would do or say today, nearly 30 years after his death. But a sincere examination of his words and his philosophy shows that Dr. King would be far from a patron saint of a latter-day "civil rights" movement aimed at eliminating affirmative action. Consider these excerpts, taken from the speeches and sermons of the great leader:

"Morals cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. The law cannot make an employer love me, but it can keep him from refusing to hire me because of the color of my skin."

Or the following:

It is impossible to create a formula for the future which does not take into account that our society has been doing something special against the Negro for hundreds of years. How then can he be absorbed into the mainstream of American life if we do not do something special for him now, in order to balance the equation and equip him to compete on a just and equal basis?"

The Texaco tapes show that there is still much being done against African American's full and equal participation in American society. No policy aimed at balancing the playing field has proven more effective than affirmative action - Proposition 209 notwithstanding. Our battle continues to be for a guarantee of opportunity - not a guarantee of results. Our cause remains consistent with Dr. King's struggle for freedom and equality. We should not allow his words to be used to sabotage his Dream.