We must move forward: I urge the business community to seek workable solutions to the challenges posed by Proposal 2.We got a reality check on Nov. 7, 2006 when Michigan Michigan (mĭsh`ĭgən), upper midwestern state of the United States. It consists of two peninsulas thrusting into the Great Lakes and has borders with Ohio and Indiana (S), Wisconsin (W), and the Canadian province of Ontario (N,E). voters approved Proposal 2, a constitutional amendment to ban 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. programs in state government and state-supported colleges and universities. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Those of us who opposed this divisive di·vi·sive adj. Creating dissension or discord. di·vi  sive·ly adv.di·vi proposal knew from the outset that it would be an uphill battle Uphill Battle was an metalcore band with elements of grindcore and noisecore. The group was based out of Santa Barbara, California, USA. History Uphill Battle got some recognition releasing their self-titled record on Relapse Records. to defeat the proposal. Nevertheless, we were surprised at the depth and breadth of the final tally. Proposal 2 was rejected in only three of Michigan's 83 counties. Now the legal system will be required to sort it all out, a process that may take years. Therefore, those of us who understand the role diversity plays in Michigan's ability to compete in the business global marketplace cannot afford to step back. Preserving the positive gains for people of color Noun 1. people of color - a race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks) people of colour, colour, color race - people who are believed to belong to the same genetic stock; "some biologists doubt that there are important and women made under affirmative action will be a challenge. We must, in particular, continue to reach out to those who are faced with economic challenges that bar them from participating to the best of their abilities in our economy and achieving a high quality of life. I am frequently asked to speak on the importance of diversity as it relates to our ability as a region to compete in the global marketplace. Here are some of the statistics I use to dramatize dram·a·tize v. dram·a·tized, dram·a·tiz·ing, dram·a·tiz·es v.tr. 1. To adapt (a literary work) for dramatic presentation, as in a theater or on television or radio. 2. the case: * The Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census predicts that the Asian and Hispanic Hispanic Multiculture A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race Social medicine Any of 17 major Latino subcultures, concentrated in California, Texas, Chicago, Miam, NY, and elsewhere population will triple in size by the year 2050 and that by the year 2056, people of color will be the majority in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . * The Department of Labor predicts that 70 percent of the new hires in the U.S. workforce will be women and minorities in 2010. * There are 1.5 billion people in China, just over 1 billion people in India and just under 1 billion people in Pakistan. If you add the populations of Asia and Africa, it's clear that right now people of color are already the majority in the world in which we live and do business. As the Detroit Regional Chamber prepares for 2007 and our mission to attract new businesses and jobs to our region, we are reminded that corporations across America believe there is a direct link between diversity and their competitive edge. Proposal 2 does not apply to the private sector. Businesses will continue to pursue their own diversity efforts. We have our collective work cut out for us to assure the businesses we wish to attract to Michigan will have the ability to attract the educated diverse workforce they need to compete in a global economy. We take advantage of the lessons learned in California and Washington. The number of people of color in their state-supported colleges and universities dipped sharply--and continues to fall--after voters in both states approved similar bans on affirmative action. The same is true of women in the building trades and manufacturing sector. I can't predict the future, but I strongly suspect that Michigan faces a similar fate unless we, the business community, take a proactive approach and seek workable solutions to the challenges posed by Proposal 2. As chairman of the Detroit Regional Chamber, I ask our Michigan business community to play a leadership role in this effort. This decision by voters should not and does not diminish the Detroit Regional Chamber's and the overall business community's resolve to promote fairness and opportunity for women and people of color. Dennis Archer
Dennis Wayne Archer (born January 1, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former president of the American Bar Association and former Mayor of Detroit. is chairman of the Chamber's Board of Directors. |
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