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GOP’s latest proposal to eliminate DEI receives public hearing
By: Baylor Spears - Wisconsin Examiner
January 31, 2024 5:45 am
A proposed constitutional amendment limiting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts throughout Wisconsin received a public hearing on Tuesday. The amendment — AJR 109 — would prohibit governmental entities, including the UW System, technical colleges and governmental offices and agencies, from discriminating against or granting “preferential treatment” to people and groups on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting or public administration.
As a constitutional amendment, the measure would bypass Gov. Tony Evers but would need to pass the Legislature in two consecutive legislative sessions and receive approval from voters before it would become law. During the hearing, the authors and supporters of the proposal, who were all white men, said it was essential to implement equality and colorblindness in Wisconsin.
Coauthor Rep. Dave Murphy (R-Greenville) told the Assembly Judiciary committee the proposal would “restore merit, fairness and equality, not only to hiring at the University of Wisconsin, but the hiring throughout all governmental entities statewide.” Republican lawmakers have declared their intention to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs throughout the state after winning substantial concessions on the issue from the University of Wisconsin during negotiations on funding. The UW deal, which will freeze DEI hiring and realign some DEI positions, was described by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos as the “first step” towards continuing efforts to “eliminate these cancerous DEI practices.”
Coauthors Rep. Dave Murphy (R-Greenville) told the Assembly Judiciary committee the proposal would “restore merit, fairness and equality, not only to hiring at the University of Wisconsin, but the hiring throughout all governmental entities statewide.”
“Equality is different from equity in the buzzword DEI,” Murphy said on Tuesday. “Equity means everyone’s outcomes have to be the same regardless of their skills or capabilities. Equality, on the other hand, means everyone, and I mean everyone, has an equal opportunity to advance in their job based on their particular set of skills and abilities.”
Democrats on the committee questioned the proposal and the authors’ views on equity.
Rep. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg) pointed out that there are already protections against discrimination in the law. He also explained to the authors how supporters of DEI view the efforts. “For example, we have these scholarships for individuals based on these classes,” Anderson said. “It’s a recognition of the both past harms that were done because of racism or ableism or any of those issues… but that it’s meant to then help make it so that each individual can participate in our society in ways that wouldn’t otherwise be available.” Anderson spoke about how his mother, who was an immigrant from Mexico, couldn’t help him with his math homework because her education ended in elementary school. “It became incredibly difficult for me to eventually get to the point where I was taking AP statistics. It was a lot harder. I’d have to go to after-school tutoring, and my climb up that hill was very different than some of my other more wealthy, and typically white, classmates that had more resources than I did,” Anderson said.
Anderson said that when he was applying to law school and for scholarships to school that his diversity status played a role. He said the additional help was a reflection of those difficulties and added that he thought some of those things that the authors would call preferential treatment are meant to help make the playing field more equal.
Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D-Milwaukee) said that the resolution ignores the fact that there are inequalities within society.
“Everything isn’t equal, so if I’m starting from the 50-yard-line and you’re starting from the 75-yard-line, we’re not all starting in the same place,” Ortiz-Velez said.
Murphy said he didn’t think it was the government’s job to decide what yard line people are on, and added that he thinks there is “an assumption that this bill somehow hinders minorities and I don’t think that’s the case.” He pointed to another Republican proposal that would eliminate race-based scholarships and aid. “I think this bill adds legitimacy to every minority that becomes a high-caliber employee. I want people to not look at those people as somehow being affirmative action hires,” Murphy said.
Nass added that everything should be based on abilities and that he believes past wrongs cannot be remedied with new types of discrimination.
Ortiz-Velez, noting that she has experience working on a local level, asked the authors if they had information or a list of how the bill would affect contracting, employment and other positions, but Murphy said that he didn’t understand or have the information that Ortiz-Velez was asking for.
The amendment is based on one approved in 2006 in Michigan. Following that amendment, there was a notable decline in minority enrollment at the state’s public universities. “For example, African-American enrollment plummeted 33 percent at the University of Michigan/Ann Arbor between 2006 and 2012, even as overall enrollment grew by 10 percent,” noted the ACLU in a statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the amendment was constitutional.
UW-Madison professor Ryan Owens argued that the bill was necessary to fight against discrimination against white males.
Owens, who is white, pointed to the Target of Opportunity Program at UW-Madison, which focused on helping academic departments recruit faculty who enhance the quality and diversity of the department, after this school year. It was specifically designed to “support the recruitment of outstanding faculty members among historically underrepresented groups, with a particular emphasis on race, ethnicity and gender (in disciplines where women are underrepresented).”
“The TOP program was racially discriminatory because it formally excluded white males,” Owens said. He noted that between 2018 and 2020, UW-Madison hired 25 people through the program, which included several white women but no white men. “That someone would be denied a job or more important the opportunity to compete for a job, because of his sex or the color of his skin is about as un-American as it gets.” The program will be replaced with another program focused on recruiting faculty who have demonstrated the “ability to mentor ‘at risk’ and/or underrepresented students to achieve academic success and who have demonstrated academic and research excellence.” Owens added that he thinks public universities will find a way to “engage in the same discriminatory acts under a different name,” and that the amendment would prevent that.
President of the Dane County NAACP chapter Greg Jones, who was the only Black person to testify, said that supporters of the bill made it seem like race is being used as the single and most prevalent factor when that is not the case. “If they’re taking race into account, it’s one factor among many,” Jones said. Jones also spoke about his past experience working as the administrator of the state Division of Affirmative Action. He said the first year when minorities made up over 10% of new hires for the state of Wisconsin his office received calls across the state asking how that was achieved. He credited targeted outreach to minority communities and a program called a balanced interview panel. “What we noticed was that all the interview panels were basically all white. We began to say to the agency, balance your panels, include women, include people of color,” Jones said. “What we began to see was a different outcome.” Jones called the proposal “out of touch,” adding that it “doesn’t move Wisconsin forward.”
Reprinted from: Wisconsin Examiner
https://wisconsinexaminer.com/category/politics-government
NATIONAL NAACP REACTS TO THE SUPREME COURT'S EXTREME DECISION TO REVERSE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 29, 2023
WASHINGTON – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued extreme decisions reversing decades of precedent on affirmative action. The court's rulings in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina jeopardize hard-fought progress for Black Americans in classrooms and beyond. NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson released the following statement reaffirming the Association's commitment to tools that support equal access to higher education for Black students: "Today the Supreme Court has bowed to the personally held beliefs of an extremist minority. We will not allow hate-inspired people in power to turn back the clock and undermine our hard-won victories. The tricks of America's dark past will not be tolerated.
Let me be clear - affirmative action exists because we cannot rely on colleges, universities, and employers to enact admissions and hiring practices that embrace diversity, equity and inclusion. Race plays an undeniable role in shaping the identities of and quality of life for Black Americans. In a society still scarred by the wounds of racial disparities, the Supreme Court has displayed a willful ignorance of our reality. The NAACP will not be deterred nor silenced in our fight to hold leaders and institutions accountable for their role in embracing diversity no matter what."
Later today at noon, NAACP National Director of Youth & College Wisdom Cole, will lead a group of students and activists in a mobilization starting at the Supreme Court steps. Cole said of today's decision: "This is a dark day in America. Affirmative action has been a beacon of hope for generations of Black students. It stood as a powerful force against the insidious poison of racism and sexism, aiming to level the playing field and provide a fair shot at a high-quality education for all. Students across the country are wide awake to the clear and present danger encroaching on their classrooms. We will continue to fight, organize, mobilize and vote against all attempts to hold us back. We will hold the line against this clear pattern of hate. We will thrive!"
WISCONSIN STATE CONFERENCE STATEMENT
August 9, 2024
WISCONSIN NAACP REJECTS AUGUST 2024 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Since the 1930’s Wisconsin’s governor has had constitutional authority to accept and direct federal funds sent to the state. It is the Governor’s responsibility to direct the funds to the appropriate state agency. The Wisconsin NAACP supports, approves, and endorses the current process of receiving federal funds and rejects the constitutional amendments.
Under current law, the governor has authority in certain instances to accept federal funds without participation of the Legislature. Under the proposed amendments, the governor could not allocate federal funds without approval by the Legislature. The Legislature would approve such allocations through joint resolutions or legislative rules that, unlike state statutes, do not require the governor’s
approval.
The proposed amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution could significantly change how federal emergency funds are allocated in the state. Wisconsin has seen money from the American Rescue Plan or COVID stimulus package which provided funding for public health and economic development; the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which includes repairing our roadways and more than 45,000 bridges; CHIPS (semiconductors) and Science Act subsidies for chip manufacturing and funding to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors; Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which includes tax reforms and investments in healthcare; and federal rental assistance funding to about 25,000 to 30,000 households in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin NAACP President Wendell Harris said “The proposed amendments are not just a power grab; they will deny the citizens of the state the benefit of federal funding opportunities. This is unacceptable.” We must respond to crises, natural disasters, and emergencies in a timely, and nonpartisan fashion.
CALL TO ACTION
The Wisconsin NAACP strongly encourages all eligible voters to reject the proposed constitutional amendments by voting NO at the polls and by absentee. It is our obligation to uphold the principles of effective government in Wisconsin. Maintaining the current process ensures effectiveness and responsiveness and protects the future.
WISCONSIN NAACP REJECTS AUGUST 2024 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Since the 1930’s Wisconsin’s governor has had constitutional authority to accept and direct federal funds sent to the state. It is the Governor’s responsibility to direct the funds to the appropriate state agency. The Wisconsin NAACP supports, approves, and endorses the current process of receiving federal funds and rejects the constitutional amendments.
Under current law, the governor has authority in certain instances to accept federal funds without participation of the Legislature. Under the proposed amendments, the governor could not allocate federal funds without approval by the Legislature. The Legislature would approve such allocations through joint resolutions or legislative rules that, unlike state statutes, do not require the governor’s
approval.
The proposed amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution could significantly change how federal emergency funds are allocated in the state. Wisconsin has seen money from the American Rescue Plan or COVID stimulus package which provided funding for public health and economic development; the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which includes repairing our roadways and more than 45,000 bridges; CHIPS (semiconductors) and Science Act subsidies for chip manufacturing and funding to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors; Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which includes tax reforms and investments in healthcare; and federal rental assistance funding to about 25,000 to 30,000 households in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin NAACP President Wendell Harris said “The proposed amendments are not just a power grab; they will deny the citizens of the state the benefit of federal funding opportunities. This is unacceptable.” We must respond to crises, natural disasters, and emergencies in a timely, and nonpartisan fashion.
CALL TO ACTION
The Wisconsin NAACP strongly encourages all eligible voters to reject the proposed constitutional amendments by voting NO at the polls and by absentee. It is our obligation to uphold the principles of effective government in Wisconsin. Maintaining the current process ensures effectiveness and responsiveness and protects the future.
NATIONAL NAACP NEWS
ACTION ALERT: UNIFORMED POLICE REFORM
With your help, we can put an end to the horrors of police brutality and reform a criminal justice system that fails to properly hold law enforcement officials accountable.
ACTION ALERT: CONTRACT FOR BLACK AMERICA
As the world faces unprecedented times and new realities during this global pandemic, and incidents of hate and domestic terrorism are perpetuated leading to routine brutalization of Black Americans, the health and safety of our people are at an unparalleled risk.
