Fighting Prop 209

The Rev. Jessie Jackson launched an attack on Proposition 209, denouncing it as an assault on women and minorities, in a fiery speech at a rally in San Francisco's Mission District yesterday.

The aim of Proposition 209, known as the California Civil Rights Initiative, which will appear on the November ballot, is to ban preferences based on race and sex, in hiring and education programs in California. Fighting in defense of affirmative action, Jackson has been touring the state with Dolores Huerta on a campaign titled "Save the Dream, Freedom Bus Tour" to fan the flames of opposition to Proposition 209.

"This is not about black. This is not about white. The majority benefit when the door is open," Jackson said. He spoke of recapturing the dream of an America where there is equal opportunity, equal access, and equal protection for women, blacks and Latinos.

Among the crowd packed into Centro Del Pueblo on Valencia at 16th Street, stood a diverse group of civil rights leaders. Members of the NAACP and the National Organization of Women were armed to defend affirmative action. Minority groups aligned as one coalition, in a civil rights march reminiscent of the battles fought in the 1970s, to promote "equal opportunity for women and people of color."

Dolores Huerta, vice president of the United Farm Workers of America and a hero in the Latino community, labeled Proposition 209 as the "civil wrongs initiative."

A handful of SF State students attended the rally. Many took advantage of the free bus ride organized by Miguel Perla, 21, an international relations major and a member of the La Raza student organization on campus. The 20 students got out of the bus on Valencia Street chanting, "Stop 209! Stop 209!"

Professor Carlos Baron, La Raza advisor, said he was glad students were protesting, but added, "I think it will pass."

Fifty-seven percent of California voters are backing Proposition 209, according to a recent San Francisco Examiner poll. Like Proposition 187 which passed two years ago -- denying health care and education rights to illegal immigrants -- if Proposition 209 passes, chances are the proposition would be tied up in the courts as civil rights advocates challenged its constitutionality. The provisions of Proposition 187 have not been implemented for this reason.

"It is a reaction that is skin-deep," Baron said.

It is a sign of the strengthening conservative right-wing, and their effort to distract voters from other issues by scapegoating immigrants, according to Baron.

"They want to revert back to Jim Crow laws," said Cynthia Connor, a 22-year-old psychology major who manned the "Stop Prop 209" table set up at Malcolm X Plaza during lunch time on Tuesday.

The main criticism of affirmative action is the possibility that poor white men will not be given the same opportunity as people of color.

In response Connor said, like welfare, affirmative action policies should be amended not repealed. She said outreach programs should be based on economic status, race and gender.

"I don't want people to look at me and say, 'You got your job because you are a black woman,'" Connor said. "It should still be based on qualifications."

"Reverse discrimination does not exist," said Mona Villa, a junior at SF State who distributed fliers for a debate about reverse discrimination taking place at SF State on Oct. 17.

The hotly-debated proposition has brought women's rights activists to the forefront of this year's election politics. Promoting equal opportunity for women is very important to senior Cynthia Nelson. The physics major said gaining entrance to a male dominated field is a personal struggle for her. She showed support for the opposition to 209 by riding the SF State bus to the rally.

Jackson and Huerta will continue their whirlwind tour. After his talk, Jackson hurried to CNN headquarters in San Francisco to debate Oliver North on "Larry King Live." Explaining his rush, Jackson said he would question North about the CIA-Contra drug connection and promised federal investigations if the Democrats are able to regain Congress in November's election.

[ Golden Gater Online October 3, 1996 ]

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