AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF MICHIGAN Some of us support the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative; some of us oppose it. But all of us oppose statements that mislead the public. That is why we want to set the record straight on several points. The MCRI will not ban affirmative action in general. It will ban "programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes." Left intact are affirmative action programs that reach out to women and minorities, that seek to eliminate bias in testing, and in fact all such programs that do not give preferential treatment as described above. The MCRI is not anti-civil rights. In fact, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, affirmative action as established by Executive Order 11246, and the MCRI are all consistent in mandating that hiring, etc. be "without regard to" race, etc. The MCRI does not oppose equal opportunity; rather it supports that concept. The MCRI will not affect breast or cervical or prostate cancer screening clinics, and it will not affect domestic abuse shelters. The MCRI will not affect the participation of women and girls in sports programs. The MCRI will not affect pay equity for women, fair housing and lending programs for women and minorities, or private financial aid and student loans for minority students. The MCRI will not affect programs based upon socio-economic status. Once again, the MCRI will only affect programs that give preferential treatment based on race, gender, color, ethnicity, or national origin, and only in the three public contexts of employment, education, or contracting. We welcome honest, thoughtful debate on civil rights, affirmative action, and equal opportunity. But we oppose erroneous statements such as those corrected above. Signatories to "An Open Letter to the People of Michigan" Howard S. Schwartz Arthur White Diether Haenicke Allen Schwenk Gerald Reynolds Abigail Thernstrom Peter Kirsanow Carl Cohen W. B. Allen Carol Allen Gail Heriot Douglas Kahn Elder Dr. Levon R. Yuille Robert Eden Edward Ericson Harold Harris Michael M. Jordan Joseph Savin Diane Savin Timothy McGrew James K. Fett Michigan State University College of Law Stephen H. Balch Jay Bergman Charles Geshekter Matthew Malkan John Ellis |
