The National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP) effectively stopped Ward Connerly's plan to place
an anti-affirmative action measure on the November ballot in Florida this
week. Connerly, a black conservative who successfully led similar efforts
in California and Washington state, scrapped plans for the ballot initiative
on Monday when it became evident he could not collect the necessary 400,000
signatures by the end of August. The Florida Supreme Court has been reviewing
Connerly's petition since March to determine whether it violates the state's
Constitution.
NAACP President and CEO Kweisi Mfume said,
"We must use this victory to continue to educate Floridians as well as
the rest of the nation about the merits of affirmative action and equal
opportunity."
Mfume said that the NAACP would continue
its fight against Governor Jeb Bush's One Florida plan that bans consideration
of race and gender in university admissions and state contracts. Portions
of Bush's initiative were just recently approved by the Legislature. "The
governor's One Florida requires constant scrutiny because it is essentially
the same and equally as harmful as Connerly's campaign," said Mfume.
Connerly vowed to review his bid to dismantle
affirmative action by returning to Florida in 2002. Mfume said, "We stopped
him in Florida once, we most certainly can stop him there again or anywhere
else he attempts to block the hard-earned civil rights gains provided to
women and minorities through affirmative action."
Founded in 1909, the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and
largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members
throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for
social justice and equal opportunity in their communities.
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