Affirmative Action Threatened by Michigan Ballot Initiative

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Read about the results for this and other 2006 ballot measures here.

November 2, 2006

Michigan voters will decide the fate of affirmative action programs in their state on Tuesday. Proposition 2, the deceptively-titled "Michigan Civil Rights Initiative", would ban the use of gender- and race-based affirmative action programs in public institutions.

NOW recognizes the inequalities that continue to exist for women and people of color and is committed to defeating Proposition 2. Michigan NOW activists, with the One United Michigan coalition, are working hard on the ground, while NOW Foundation staff and volunteers are on the phones working to turn out voters.

What the Michigan anti-affirmative action initiative would do:

Eliminate programs that help women achieve pay equity with men;
Eliminate programs that encourage women to enter fields where they are underrepresented and could earn higher wages;
Eliminate outreach and other programs that inform women and minorities of opportunities to bid on and earn public contracts;
Eliminate programs that encourage female and minority students at the elementary and high school level to excel in reading, science and math; and
Eliminate scholarships and programs that encourage women and minorities to enter medical, science and engineering careers.

Michigan still needs affirmative action:

Michigan women are paid 67 cents for every dollar men earn, the second-largest wage gap between men and women in the entire country;
In Michigan, African-American households receive on average 39 cents less on the dollar in wages than white households;
Michigan is one of the most racially segregated states in this country, with communities of color often located in poorer neighborhoods; as a result, children of color often attend under-funded, poor-performing schools.

Affirmative action programs are put in place to offset gender and race discrimination. Unfortunately, the United States is still riddled with the dual problems of racism and sexism. Until we have fully eradicated racism and sexism in society, we must press for programs that affirmatively address gender and racial disparities that result from unequal distribution of resources and opportunities. That's why we're hard at work to protect such programs in Michigan and we urge all Michigan voters to vote NO on Proposition 2.

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