| House takes bipartisan stand to protect
Equal Opportunity King Amendment latest in a series of
attempts to gut equal opportunity programs
From the Presbyterian Washington Office: The Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights is the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse
civil and human rights coalition. The March 30, 2006, press release below
gives us an update on the issue and status of affirmative action programs.
It should serve as a reminder that these programs remain under constant
attack. [4-17-06]
Note: Your WebWeaver wishes to note that
while he proudly (but modestly) bears the surname of King, he is not
related to Rep. Steven King, R. Iowa.
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Press Release
Washington – March 30, 2006 – A two-pronged attempt by opponents of
affirmative action to scuttle equal opportunity in university admissions and
undercut the privacy of college students was roundly defeated today with
broad bipartisan support, 337-83.
"Our elected officials stood up for equal opportunity
today," said Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights (LCCR), the nation's premier civil and human rights
coalition. "Opponents should focus on fixing the glaring disparities that
still exist in elementary and secondary schools across the nation rather
than trying to undermine the attempts of colleges and universities to ensure
a diverse and educated American public."
An amendment to the higher education bill, H.R. 609,
offered by Rep. Steven King, R. Iowa, would have forced federally-funded
colleges and universities to produce lengthy, complicated reports each year
documenting sensitive racial and ethnic data on all their applicants.
"If passed, this amendment would have placed an
unreasonable burden on colleges and violated the privacy of their students,"
said LCCR's Policy Director Nancy Zirkin. "This is just the latest in a
series of unprincipled attacks that attempt to subvert the meaning of equal
opportunity in American life."
The King amendment is one of many efforts by
anti-opportunity activists to undercut equal opportunity:
• Last fall, the Bush administration suspended many existing Affirmative
Action Program (AAF) requirements for new federal contractors involved in
rebuilding areas ravaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, effectively denying
equal opportunity employment measures designed to aid minority-owned
businesses.
• In January, the Department of Labor quietly proposed eliminating the
Equal Opportunity Survey, a vital data collection tool that is designed to
detect and remedy discrimination against women and people of color.
• In addition, anti-affirmative action activists have teamed up with
like-minded Bush Department of Education officials to pressure colleges and
universities into making "minority aid" programs, intended to improve
educational opportunities for women and minorities, available to the entire
student body.
# #
Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory
Director, Washington Office
Presbyterian Church (USA)
202-543-1126
202-543-7755 (fax)
100 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Suite 410
Washington, DC 20002
eivory@ctr.pcusa.org |
