Racist initiative under fire

By Tim Wheeler

This article was reprinted from the June 20, 1998 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

A coalition of civil rights, labor and community organizations is campaigning in Washington State to defeat Initiative 200, a ballot measure that would outlaw affirmative action programs in all public institutions.

Identical to California's Prop. 209, Initiative 200 has been approved for the state's Nov. 3 ballot. It would prohibit state and local governments from taking into account race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in awarding jobs and promotions or admission to state universities and colleges and in public contracting.

Foes of the measure charge that it would have the same disastrous impact on Washington as Prop. 209 has had in California, where African American and Latino university enrollment has plunged and job and promotion opportunities have been choked off.

"One of our main challenges is to overcome the deceptive wording of this ballot measure," said King County Councilman, Larry Gossett, who represents an inner city district of Seattle. Gossett also serves on the executive board of the grassroots coalition, "No! Initiative 200," which is working to defeat the measure. "Everybody is against discrimination but voting yes on Initiative 200 would end every government and public affirmative action program in this state," he told the World. "All our great universities, starting with the University of Washington, would lose minority enrollment."

Gossett accused the right wing extremists of tricking the people that Initiative 200 is a "civil rights" measure. Young African Americans were recruited from outside the state to come to Washington to collect petition signatures thinking it was a civil rights initiative.

Many of the victims of this fraud quit when they learned the truth, Gossett said, but were then left stranded far from home. "The NAACP and the Urban League helped raise money to pay their bus fare home," Gossett said. "About 70 percent of the money to place this initiative on the ballot came from outside the state."

California millionaire Ward Connerly, an African American who has become corporate America's front man in the war on affirmative action, doled out millions to win ballot status for Initiative 200. Pittsburgh millionaire Richard Mellon Scaife, the Conservative Caucus and former right-wing radio talk show host, John Carlson, also have bankrolled Initiative 200.

"We're building one of the broadest statewide progressive coalitions our state has ever seen to defeat Initiative 200," Gossett said. "Washington State has been known as one of the more liberal states in the country and progressive sentiment has carried the day on many occasions."

He praised the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union for contributing $25,000 each to "No! Initiative 200." Other endorsers include the Washington State AFL-CIO, Urban League, American Jewish Committee, Japanese American Citizens League, Filipino American Political Group, the League of Women Voters, the Washington Association of Churches and dozens more organizations and prominent individuals. Boeing has contributed $50,000. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has endorsed the effort to defeat the racist ballot measure.

Gossett said, "I absolutely feel that this battle can be won."

Kelley Evans, campaign manager of "No! Initiative 200," told the World. "We're doing a lot of organizing of the campaign and organized labor is a part of our coalition.

Our challenge is to make sure that people understand what they are voting for when they step into the voting booth next Nov. 3. Our effort is a combination of mass media and a strong grassroots campaign."

Polls show that if the vote were today, Initiative 200 would be approved, she said. She cited the remarkable voter shift in the defeat of California's Prop. 226 from 71 percent approval to 54 percent disapproval as proof that Initiative 200 can be defeated.

Evans also took note of the 249 to 171 vote in the House of Representatives May 10 to kill the Riggs Amendment, identical to Prop. 209. In that vote, 55 Republicans broke ranks with the GOP leadership to defeat this attempt to federalize Prop. 209.

The National Conference of Black Mayors, meeting in New Orleans in April, approved overwhelmingly a plan to defend affirmative action. The plan was modeled on last year's victory in Houston where voters decisively rejected a ballot measure to outlaw affirmative action.

East St. Louis Mayor Gordon Bush, newly-elected president of the group, said, "Unless affirmative action is in affect, many, many doors will be closed to African Americans."

The NAACP National Board of Directors, meeting in Baltimore May 16, vowed an "aggressive agenda" in defense of affirmative action. The group views the struggle to defeat Initiative 200 as so crucial that it voted to convene its October board meeting in Seattle.

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