Outside View: For the affirmative

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Ward Connerly could learn a thing or two if he simply read Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's opinion in the recent affirmative action case.

In her opinion, Ginsburg eloquently wrote, "The racial and ethnic groups to which the University of Michigan accords special consideration historically have been relegated to inferior status by law and social practice; their members continue to experience class-based discrimination to this day. The stain of generations of racial oppression is still visible in our society, and the determination to hasten its removal remains vital."

Despite the resounding truth behind Justice Ginsburg's words, Connerly insists on fighting a battle against affirmative action, which only serves to take this country back to the days of separate and unequal. America should be pushed forward, not backwards.

Forty years ago this month, civil rights pioneer Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial and reflected on America's racial progress 100 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

King didn't like what he saw, and he vowed to make America better.

"One hundred years later," Dr. King said, "the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land."

Today, we too must ask ourselves whether the barriers to equality in America can be completely removed in 25 years. On the one hand, America has progressed. The institutionalized, legal version of segregation and oppression that existed for most of this country's history is certainly not as prevalent as it once was. Yet the superficial barriers of racial discrimination still exist -- albeit in subtler and more covert ways.

Affirmative action is a proven remedy to correct such historical injustices. It is a tool that brings us closer to achieving King's vision for America. Yet even after a resounding opinion by an otherwise conservative Supreme Court upholding affirmative action programs, Connerly and his conservative backers insist on fighting a program that remains sorely needed in this country.

In preparation for the 2004 election cycle, Connerly is pursuing a state by state strategy to outlaw affirmative action by placing the issue as a referendum on the ballot in Michigan and possibly Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Oregon as well. Such an effort only serves to polarize voters and distract from more pressing public policy issues like the economy, education, foreign policy, and healthcare.

After some public debate on the issue, voters should reject Connerly's arguments for the same reason that the U.S. military and major companies like General Motors and Microsoft support affirmative action -- diversity is good for America. It makes our country stronger. It brings opportunity to more people. It removes barriers and creates a level playing field for all Americans.

Hopefully, the public debate will not be circumvented by a rush to demagogue this issue by its conservative opponents. Ballot initiatives, like the proposal Connerly is pushing, will inject into the public debate the most virulent form of racism. How can anyone forget the 1992 senatorial campaign of Jesse Helms versus Harvey Gantt? Faced with a tough opponent, Helms decided at the last moment to play the affirmative action card in his paid advertisements. That kind of politics is divisive and wrong.

Even the chairman of the Michigan Republican Party agrees. In a recent op-ed in the Detroit News, Betsy DeVos warned, "No matter how well-intentioned, a ballot initiative designed to eliminate affirmative action programs in higher education here in Michigan could very well result in 18 months of vitriolic public discourse that centers on racial issues."

We all look forward to the day when racial equality exists at a level that makes affirmative action a needless anachronism. When everyone has a key to the door of opportunity, we won't need to hold the door open. Yet, sadly, for too many women and minorities that door remains locked.

Affirmative action will no longer be necessary when Americans are born onto a level playing field; when true equal educational opportunity exists; when Republican Senate majority leaders no longer pine for the good ol' days of racial injustice, and when America's CEOs, elected officials, academic leaders, and judges look like America.

Until that day, we have an obligation to ensure that every American -- regardless of the color of his skin -- can beat the odds and advance. Let us look back 40 years from now and say that Dr. King's challenge to America has finally been met. Pretending that racial discrimination is no longer a problem won't achieve that goal -- nor will abandoning needed programs to help all Americans achieve their full potential.

-- Donna L. Brazile heads the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Initiative and was the campaign manager for the Gore-Lieberman ticket in 2000.

-- "Outside View" commentaries are written for UPI by outside writers who specialize in a variety of important global issues.