Supporters of an effort to get on the November ballot a measure to eliminate affirmative action in Missouri missed their midnight deadline last night. In all likelihood, it was not a strategic blunder, but probably due to the group not having collected enough signatures to get it on the ballot.

The main figure behind the controversial initiative, California business Ward Connerly, who is African-American, had targeted five states, including Missouri. Connerly was successful at getting a similar measure passed in California in 1996.

Perhaps the most significant affect of the measure dying early is that such a racially inflammatory proposal will now have no chance of appearing on the same ballot which could possibly elect the nation’s first African-American president.
 

State Treasurer candidate Andria Simckes tried to rebut reports that she supported the controversial ballot initiative that seeks to outlaw most forms of affirmative action in Missouri.

In an email to supporters and the press Friday, Simckes, who is black, said clearly that she does not support the misleadingly titled “Missouri Civil Rights Initiative” or its chief spokesman, Ward Connerly.

I would like to talk about something that is extremely disturbing. Ward Connerly, a man from California, is putting together a ballot initiative on the November Ballot that would limit the rights of hundreds of thousands of Missourians. I do not support Ward Connerly and I do not support his Missouri Civil Rights Initiative. His initiative attempts to weaken civil rights by abolishing Affirmative Action in Missouri. Affirmative Action is one tool in the defense against discrimination and it is still an extremely important one.

The issue of Simckes’ position on the initiative stems from an April 13th story on the KY3 political blog in which Simckes is reported as saying “she believes in the non-partisan court plan and supports the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative.”

Simckes later posted a comment on that blog posting saying:

I support the right to equal opportunity for all Americans. I am living proof of that opportunity. My acceptances in the NASA-Lewis MARS Internship Program and Brown University are just two examples of how the right to equal opportunity has benefited me personally. Affirmative Action is one of the most effective tools in beginning to level the playing field for women and minorities. I have always and will continue to support everyone’s right to equal opportunity.

In her email Friday, she went on to say how much she has personally benefited from affirmative action.

In my own life, Affirmative Action has played a vital role in providing numerous opportunities for me… The year I entered Brown University, the school made the conscious decision to increase their talent pool to include more racial diversity by moving to need blind admission. Although, I was at the top of my high school graduating class, my family was a working class family and I would not have been able to afford all of the expenses associated with attending Brown.

Simckes took a few parting shots at Connerly before concluding her statement:

I stand against Ward Connerly’s values because he is against that which makes our country great. I am running for State Treasurer for that reason…

Let’s all come together as Democrats to defeat Ward Connerly and his initiative.

Andria Danine Simckes

Members of a coalition to combat an anti-Affirmative Action petition called for voters not to “be fooled in April” by individuals getting signatures for the initiative.

The Working to Empower Community Action Now (WeCAN) coalition held a press conference at the steps of City Hall on Tuesday, April 1st (April Fool’s Day), denouncing a petition being circulated to end Affirmative Action in Missouri.

The initiative is being pushed by anti-Affirmative Action activist Ward Connerly. The west coast-based businessman has pushed successful Affirmative Action ending initiatives in California, Washington state and Michigan. [Watch our earlier interview with Connerly at the end bottom of this page.]

He is now pushing initiatives in five other states, including Missouri. Connerly is in the process of acquiring signatures to get the initiative on the November ballot.

Brandon Davis, WeCAN spokesperson and political director for the Service Employee International Union (SEIU) Missouri/Kansas State Council, warned voters about some of the practices backers of the initiative are using. Davis called them “deceptive,” including denouncing the name of the bill dubbed the “Missouri Civil Rights Initiative.”

Davis charges that many people sign the petition without realizing it’s for ending Affirmative Action.

The group took note of it being April Fool’s Day, using a costumed jester and the slogan “Don’t Be Fooled In April.” Connerly’s group has until May 4th to gather enough signatures to put it on the ballot.

WeCAN released a statement at the conference detailing how petitioners were being paid to gather signatures and were purposely misleading people into thinking they’d signed something that would fight discrimination. University of Missouri-St. Louis student Rita Weinstock said she experienced the tactics first-hand when she was approached by a petitioner in front of City Hall.

“He was describing the petition as simply a ‘petition to end discrimination in hiring,’” Weinstock said.

Weinstock, who knew about the petition and is for Affirmative Action, waved down individuals who had signed the petition and informed them of what it actually meant. She said many went back and asked for their names to be removed.

Deb Cottin, who is a member of the WeCAN coalition through FOCUS St. Louis, said her group signed on to fight the petition because they strongly believe Affirmative Action is still needed.

“It’s going to set back the Civil Rights Movement. It will set back diversity. It does not help diversity,” she said. “It would be nice to think that it would (help diversity), but if you look at what happens in the states that have banned it, it is not good.”

Cottin, Davis and others recited information on how ending Affirmative Action has adversely affected diversity on California college campuses and have hurt Michigan’s chances in getting conventions and other business. Cottin and Davis also wanted to educate more people about Affirmative Action, pointing out that it is not a racial or gender-based “quota” program as quotas are already illegal. WeCAN states that Affirmative Action is based on businesses and organizations who “increase opportunities for women, people of color, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and veterans. The policies require good faith efforts to achieve and maintain a diverse workforce, business environment or academic community.”

“We really need to sound an alarm,” Cottin said. “If passed it will affect us in horrible ways. If we want St. Louis to thrive, if it gets voted into law it would not bode well for us.”

For those who want more information on WeCAN and their views on the initiative, call 1-877-644-0466 or visit their Web site at www.WeCanMO.org.

Here is our earlier interview with Ward Connerly:

The American Civil Liberties Union is hosting discussion Wednesday on a Affirmative Action banning initiative that is being petitioned to get on Missouri’s November ballot.

California businessman and anti-Affirmative Action Activist Ward Connerly is behind an initiative that would end Affirmative Action in Missouri. He has pushed successful bids to end the civil rights legislation in California, Washington state and Michigan. He is currently pushing initiatives in four other states besides Missouri.

Connerly says Affirmative Action is discriminatory and unneeded. Critics of Connerly argue that Affirmative Action is still necessary due to discriminatory hiring practices and the underrepresentation of minorities on college campuses.

The ACLU describes Connerly’s initiative as being “cloaked in the language of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement” with a misleading title. The bill is called the “Missouri Civil Rights Initiative” and is touted as a bill to end unfair hiring practices.

(I)t is an attack on affirmative action policies that have benefited women and minorities who would otherwise be locked out of higher education, business contracts, and other public resources … Now, the ACRI (American Civil Rights Initiative) has targeted Missouri, along with Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Can they be stopped? Does affirmative action still comprise an effective and critical a set of social policies? This session explores both questions and more.

The event is entitled “Affirmative Action: What’s at Stake for Missouri and America” and will feature National ACLU Racial Justice Director, Dennis Parker. It is happening Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the offices of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri, 454 Whittier Street, just south of Olive.

RSVPs are encouraged as seating is limited. For more information call 652-3114, ext 23.

The Associated Press is reporting that Affirmative Action slayer Ward Connerly survived a prickly, mixed reception at Truman State University Thursday.

He was mocked. He was cheered. And there were a whole lot of chips flying off shoulders.

At one point Connerly had to ask a woman to “please just shut up.”

During his two hour speech he was confronted by a mostly hostile crowed that jeered and interrupted him, even laughing at some of his statements.

”What we’re doing in our nation now … is preparing for the day when race-based affirmative action won’t be around,” he said. ”Clearly, it’s living on borrowed time.”

Connerly was speaking to an audience of several hundred students, professors and community members about Affirmative Action no longer being necessary.

He is in Missouri pushing a ballot initiative that would ban race-based preferences in public hiring and college admissions.

Connerly successfully pushed ballot initiatives banning Affirmative action in California, Washington state and Michigan. He’s now pushing the measure in four other states besides Missouri.

Critics have argued that large inequities still exist between whites and blacks and discrimination remains a pertinent issue.

Connerly acknowledged that eliminating or reducing minority scholarships ”will probably have a negative effect. But that’s a public policy decision that has to be made.”

The latest in a YWCA Racial Injustice series will tackle a controversial initiative proposed to end Affirmative Action programs in Missouri Tuesday.

Fronted by California businessman Ward Connerly, this latest push is part of an effort by Connerly and his supporters to eliminate Affirmative Action in the United States. Connerly has backed successful initiatives in California, Washington and Michigan.

Many groups have joined in opposition of the measure. Speaker Brandon L. Davis of Missouri/Kansas State Council of Service Employees International Union and Working to Empower Community Action Now (WeCAN) speak at the even alongside Hortense Harrison, Missouri regional vice president for Imagine Schools and other representatives from a coalition group fighting the measure will speak at the event.

The event is free of charge, encouraging open dialog between attendees and speakers. It will take place Tuesday at the YWCA’s Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center, 2711 Locust Street, Midtown, St. Louis from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

For more information, call the YWCA at 314-531-1115.

This lecture series is part of the YWCA Metro St. Louis’ “One Imperative” to “eliminate racism wherever it exists.”