Anti-Affirmative-Action Advocate Ward Connerly: What’s He Up to Now?
What has anti-affirmative-action activist Ward Connerly been up to lately?
His latest legal effort to get an anti-affirmative-action ballot passed in Missouri fell apart after legal challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union; He’s also facing more legal issues as a civil-rights group, By Any Means Necessary, seeks to overturn a portion of California’s Proposition 209.
But the usually outspoken Connerly has been relatively quiet. His opponents, including the American Association for Affirmative Action and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), are sure he’s going to surface again soon.
Connerly spoke with DiversityInc on May 14, 2010, and these were his comments.
About his anti-affirmative-action activities: “We are not as active in pursuing initiatives this election cycle as we have been in the past. That does not mean that we have retired from the initiative ballot. There will be a ballot in Arizona this November that is almost identical to the ones we have had in the past, and we’ve started an effort in Utah. Missouri is not dead. We bowed out of Missouri because the language that Secretary of State Robin Carnahan drafted was prejudicial. When we went to court, the judge ruled that it was prejudicial but he didn’t have the ability to change that language.”
About his increasing efforts to ask Americans to not declare their race: “Our emphasis is really on trying to get the nation to think less about the issue of race. It’s an obsession with our country … we’re going to have to get rid of the government even asking people to make a declaration about their race … these racial categories don’t make any sense.”
The founder of the American Civil Rights Institute (ACRI), Connerly is best known for leading the charge against affirmative action over the past 15 years. Considered by many as the man behind Proposition 209 (which banned consideration of race and ethnicity by public institutions in California), he has been responsible for a number of successful anti-affirmative-action campaigns throughout the United States.
Connerly seemingly will not rest until he removes affirmative action completely. He was forced to withdraw his latest challenge in March to place anti-affirmative-action initiatives on the Missouri ballot when the ACLU charged that the initiative was fraudulently designed. The recent victory for the ACLU was another stepping stone in efforts to stop Connerly’s crusade.
“I think it was a continuation of what has been a successful campaign against his fraudulent and misstated aims of misrepresenting what affirmative action set out to achieve,” says Dennis Parker, director of the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program. “Hopefully, this trend will continue. Maybe people have become disenchanted with his allegations or him benefitting financially from these programs. The case in Utah actually might have been even more significant. I call into question his motives and methods. He likes to cherry-pick which states he wants to target. He thought there were nothing but white people out in Utah and therefore it would be easy; however, he still was unable to get the anti-affirmative-action ballot initiatives there.”
Prior to the Missouri withdrawal, Connerly was faced with another opponent of his anti-affirmative-action drive. Berkeley, Calif.–based civil-rights activist group, By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a portion of Proposition 209. Not the least bit concerned, Connerly thinks the ballot measure will withstand the challenge presented by BAMN based on a lack of merit. When asked by BAMN of his views regarding the lawsuit filed, Connerly said, “I don’t think it has any legs.”
Despite the latest challenges, Connerly continues to campaign for ballot initiatives from Arizona to Missouri.
Only time will tell if Connerly’s persistence will lead to more successful attempts to eliminate the country of affirmative-action programs. “I’m hopeful that we can continue to discuss race and affirmative action, but it’s important that we do in an honest manner in order to educate others,” says Parker.
In early February, following a mockery of Black History Month in which students of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), took part in what was called the “Compton Cookout,” racial tension was at an all-time high on the La Jolla campus, where the event actually took place. There were several protests and rallies led by the Black Student Union (BSU), which led to the university realizing they had to address this issue.
Connerly, a former regent of UCSD, didn’t respond until UCSD and BSU came to an agreement to improve race relations at the university. “Personally, I think it’s distasteful for the university, under duress, to sit down with a group of students representing racial interest and agree to their demands,” Connerly said.
2:34 pm
Is it Mr. Connerly’s position that UCSD should have just ignored the BSU and other organizations and students who rightfully so were offended by the staging of the “Compton Cookout”? Racial intolerance should not be condoned under any circumstances. We all are equal under the law, and unfortunately that has not always been the case. Further, Affirmative Action was designed to correct some of the injustices perpretrated against women, and people of color.
2:40 pm
He needs to move to Arizona, so he can be with his soulmate, Governor Jan Brewer. Oh, wait, that would violate the new anti-miscegenation law Arizona will undoubtedly pass next. Never mind.
4:50 pm
It is ironic, and uniquely American, that Black conservatives like Ward Connerly, Clarence Thomas, Alan Keyes, Star Parker, Thomas Sowell, Armstrong Williams and others have careers because they often justify the perceptions of White conservatives by denying the importance, impact and even the existence of racism in our nation. In other words it is because of their views AND their race that they are embraced by those on the conservative right; their views MINUS their race would be significantly less sought after by White conservatives.
Connerly is particularly iconic in that he is one of the earliest Blacks to be elevated by conservatives as somehow representative of right-thinking” Blacks. Clarence Thomas has become another icon, as has Alan Keys. Each, in their own way, represent to me victims of a kind of racial Stockholm syndrome … that paradoxical psychological phenomenon where hostages express admiration and positive feelings towards their captors that appear irrational in light of the intent of their captors to use and possibly harm them.
Ward Connerly will resurface not because of some pressing social need, but because of his inner need to be again validated by a bloc of conservatives whose ideology (to my eyes) often drifts toward racism.
11:56 pm
“Ward Connerly will resurface not because of some pressing social need.” Yes, indeed he will, like a poison boomerang, or a modern day “Judah,” he will return. The need to impress the conservative right wing puppeteer is strong indeed, and soon the rested puppet will dance with new found vigor. Ward Connerly have elevated himself to the very top of the “Uncle Tom’s” list, and for some reason, he seem to be pleased with this dubious distinction.
3:48 pm
I get offended when I hear “Uncle Tom”, “Oreo”, or other ignorant sayings because someone has opions outside their own race. While I don’t agree with everything that Ward does to call him an “Uncle Tom” is inappropriate.
10:41 pm
To the first commenter: Affirmative Action was actually designed to correct racism specifically. It was only afterward that other groups, particularly woman’s rights groups, started declaring themselves “minorities” deserving of the same special privileges. They did this well: white women are the single largest benefactors of Affirmative Action. White women tend to marry white men and have white children. Affirmative Action helps white people the most!
12:44 pm
it is an insult to “Uncle Tom ” to call Ward Connly one.Uncle Tom thought that he was helping the other enslaved peopl by accomodating his masters.
10:00 pm
I actually agree with Connerly that America is obsessed with race. When European immigrants came through Ellis Island in the early 20th century, they were forced to identify themselves by race, something they had never had to consider before coming to America. It hasn’t particularly changed since then. However, ignoring the issue doesn’t make it go away. The entitlements of white male privilege have to be addressed and negated before we can start ignoring everyone else’s race.
4:33 am
I’m sorry someone took offense at calling Ward Connerly an “Uncle Tom,” but nothing is more despising to me than to see a Black Person try so hard to deliberately hurt those of his own race. This man panders to the likes of Rush Limbaugh,Glenn Beck ,Michael Savage, Sarah Palin,etc. Through out our history(I’m Black)there have always been a few of of our people who decided that the easiest way to get along, and to get ahead was to become a puppet for the racist wing of the white power structure, to the detrimen of his own race. I’m not a strong proponent of name calling either, but when I think about the destruction Mr. connerly has caused, it has that kind of effect.. through out our history in this country, we have always had a few of these dispicable individuals.
12:44 pm
I don’t think there is much else to add to what the earlier respondents have already stated. I can only say that it always appalls me when a person of color shows disdain for their own race; because that is the only way I perceive Mr. Connerly’s actions. Yes, a convoluted Stockholm Syndrome is taking place here, but it is especially egregious when the affects of the syndrome are directed outwards towards a specific group of people. We have not yet reached a stage in this country where we cannot discuss race. The people impacted by racial inequality are not the instigators or initiators of these inequalities, and those affected by these inequalities are only asking for the same opportunities as anyone else in this country. Until such time that these inequalities no longer exist, then Affirmative Action programs will need to exist, because it is painfully apparent that many in this country will not do it on their own.
5:59 pm
Is there a way to find out and publish publicly how much money Wardie has pocketed over the years with his anti-affirmative active crusade? And, along with that, who is primary financial sponsors are? DiversityInc, can you find that out and publish it so that all your readers will know this?
10:50 am
Wow … so because Ward Connerly believes that people should NOT receive special treatment just because of the color of their skin all of the posters here believe that he is a racist or an “uncle tom”?
I am particularly offended myself by the comment that white women should not have ever benefited from affirmative action because they marry white men and make little white children. Do you HEAR yourself? Does anyone realize that prior to affirmative action women (of any COLOR) faced extreme obstacles to owning property or qualifying for credit etc… So we should never have helped white women in receiving equal treatment under the law because they would just turn around and birth more of us evil white devil spawn into the world? Is that about the gist of the post?
The anti-white racism in this country is rampant in America today.
If any of the posters here take some time to study Ward Connerly’s viewpoints and assertions over the course of his involvement in this issue you would learn that much of his campaign was fueled by a desire to end the discriminatory college admissions practices that were taking place in the UC college system in the name of “diversity” in which white and ASIAN students were systematically denied admission despite having better grades and test scores than other students who were being admitted.
Why is it that those of us who feel that your COLOR should not be a factor in today’s “post-race” society in hiring and college admissions practices are labeled “racist”.
How is it that Ward shows “disdain to his own race” just because he doesn’t believe that race should be a free pass for ANY body of ANY COLOR?
As it turns out Ward explains that he one-fourth black and half-white, with the rest a mix of Irish, French, and Choctaw American Indian.
Should he hate half of himself for being the “white devil”??
I mean seriously people… go re-read Dr. Seuss’ sneeches and their starz upon tharz and get back to me.
9:03 pm
(Dr. Suess post) Truthful and proportional response. An honest puncturing of the above hyperbole. Thankz
12:17 am
I think that Ward Connerly is absolutely right and I respect him greatly for his efforts to eliminate affirmative action before it does more harm. Counting some more than others do to race, is wrong and racist. Handing out opportunity based on race is wrong and racist. And to all minority special interest and advocate groups, you need to be aware of one thing; affirmative action backfire on those you wish to help; and, while affirmative action harms all, it harms its beneficiaries the most.
4:42 am
Most of you have equated anti-affirmative action with racism and conservative with rasist. Shame on you; you are all now a part of the problem. The point is to end stereo types. Why did one person have to state they were black in these comment even to get their point across? Why do you have to point out the big names of the conservative party? Labels, labels, labels…