|
Affirmative-Action Foe Joins Giuliani Camp
Compiled by the DiversityInc staff
January 09, 2008
Affirmative-Action Foe Joins Giuliani Camp
The Black community isn't too enthused by the politics of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, nor Giuliani's South Carolina campaign co-chair who called them "retarded," but now the campaign is pushing it. Giuliani's campaign announced Tuesday that it will use affirmative-action critic Ward Connerly as a representative in the California Republican Primary. Connerly, who spearheaded the campaign to ban affirmative action in California, has been a big name nationwide, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education. Although Giuliani disagreed with the measure when it was first proposed, according to Connerly, the two have since resolved their issue. "On the fundamental question of whether anyone should get preference or be discriminated against on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin, we are in accord," Connerly told The Chronicle.
No More Elderly, Black Voters? Supreme Court to Hear Voter-ID Law Case
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that will determine if Indiana voters will be required to present government-issued photo identification before voting. The purpose of the measure is to eliminate voter fraud, such as ballots being cast by deceased citizens; however, opponents of the law argue that it unfairly impacts elderly people of color and the poor voters, reports Diverse Education. "Government-issued photo-identification cards have a tremendous partisan slant. Republicans overwhelmingly support them. Democrats overwhelmingly oppose them," Michael Pitts, associate professor of law at the Indiana University School of Law, told Diverse Education. According to surveys and studies cited by the Los Angeles Times, as much as 10 percent, or 20 million people, do not have a government-issued ID.
U.S. Olympic Committee Settles Discrimination Suit
Paralympic basketball player Mark Shepherd and the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) have reached a settlement in a discrimination lawsuit filed by Shepherd in 1999, reports USA Today. Shepherd, the former manager of Disabled Sports Services for the USOC from 1994 to 2001, filed the lawsuit, claming the USOC violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and sought $10 million in punitive damages. While terms for the agreement were not announced, Jim Scherr, USOC chief executive officer, told USAToday, "The USOC is pleased we've been able to bring closure to these issues so we can continue to focus our attention on moving forward with all of our Paralympic programs and particularly preparing the best team possible for the Beijing Paralympic games."
What Could Force 4,000 Latino College Students to Drop Out?
A new voter-approved ballot initiative that prevents undocumented students from getting in-state tuition and state-funded federal aid is putting nearly 4,000 Latino students in jeopardy of dropping out. Proposition 300, which was approved by a wide margin more than a year ago, allows students to still attend colleges and universities, but they must pay out-of-state tuition, reports The Arizona Republic. At the University of Arizona, officials say they are aware that some students have already dropped out because of the hike in tuition. Out-of-state tuition and fees at the University of Arizona total $16,271 this year versus the $5, 037 in-state price. Find out how your state measures up on immigration laws.
Fired for Wearing a Cross, Employee Loses Religious-Bias Suit
A British Airways (BA) check-in worker lost her religious-discrimination case against the airline, which she filed after getting fired for refusing to hide her cross necklace. An employment tribunal ruled on Tuesday that Nadia Eweida was treated the same as any other employee would have been if they had broken the uniform policy, reports Christian Today. "I'm very disappointed," Eweida told ARP news. "The judge has given way for BA to have victory on imposing their will on all their staff," reports AFP.
A spokesperson for British Airways said: "We are pleased that the tribunal's decision supports our position. Our current policy allows symbols of faith to be worn openly and has been developed with multi-faith groups and our staff," reports Christian Today. Eweida plans to return to the British Airways check-in at Heathrow on Thursday wearing the cross.
Get the scoop on managing religion in the workplace from a former EEOC chair and learn more about some of the major issues surrounding this topic--employee-resource groups, Muslim backlash and where LGBT rights intersect with religion--in this provocative roundtable from the Nov./Dec. 2007 issue of DiversityInc magazine.
More News Digest >>
Send Your Comments About This Article Now
© DiversityInc 2008 ® All rights reserved. No article on this site can be reproduced by any means, print, electronic or any other, without prior written permission of the publisher.
|
|
