Contact: Adriana Barajas-Dazo, 916-444-2278

 

SACRAMENTO, July 3, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today the California State Senate Education committee voted to allow discrimination in public education in California.

 

State Senator Ed Hernandez's (D-24) proposal aims to amend the California State Constitution by removing public education from the protection of Article 1, Section 31, commonly referred to as Proposition 209.

 

Ward Connerly and his organization, the American Civil Rights Coalition (ACRC), oppose this legislation.

 

"In 1996 the people of California voted overwhelmingly to end race preferences in public employment, public contracting, and public education. They voted to raise the bar on Constitutional protections against discrimination by bringing the 1964 Civil Rights Act to our state. Prop 209 stated, 'The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting,'" said Connerly.

 

ACRC fought this attempt to allow discrimination and preferences back into our education system. Diane Schachterle, Vice President of ACRC testified in opposition and after some discussion among the committee and author Senator Ed Hernandez, Schachterle was summarily dismissed and not allowed rebuttal. The Committee passed the bill on a party line vote.

 

Just this week the Latino Caucus of the California Legislature marked the point at which the Latino population is projected to reach parity with California's non-Hispanic white population for the first time in modern history, and yet, according to Connerly, "A member of this caucus continues to trade on 'minority' status in a quest for 'diversity.'"

 

The University of California representative testified that in the class admitted in 2012, the statistics are 28% white, 27% Hispanic, 36% Asian, 4.4% Black. A reasonable person would conclude this to be a genuinely diverse population. UC stated that they have made great progress in admitting a diverse population since the passage of Prop 209. Why then do they need to use race? What definition of diversity will satisfy the Education Special Interests?

 

In the 17 years Prop 209 has been in effect, California has led the way towards a color-blind government and increased graduation rates in Higher Education through race and gender-neutral policies. Now SCA 5 seeks to roll back the clock to an era of race conscious policies that treat students differently based on their race or ethnicity. "This is the wrong direction for California, it's the wrong direction for America," said Connerly.