Speakers ready for National Day of Action

With rallies, workshops, discussion and debate, proponents of affirmative action will push the issue before members of the campus community tomorrow with two goals in mind - defending the social policy and educating people about it.

Tomorrow marks the National Day of Action of Integration and Affirmative Action, which will take place on campuses nationwide. At the University, speakers from several organizations and student groups will address campus audiences.

Intervenors involved in two lawsuits challenging the University's use of race as a factor in the admissions processes of the College of Literature, Science and Arts and the Law School also plan to speak.

"We hope to send a message to the country that the U of M is a place that is going to fight for integration and affirmative action," said University graduate student Jessica Curtin, a member of the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary.

"The more people know about affirmative action, the more they support it."

In an unprecedented move, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, issued a decision on Aug. 10 that allowed black, Latino/a, other minority students and several organizations to enter the two lawsuits against the University as defendants.

The Center for Individual Rights filed the lawsuits against the University about two years ago. The Washington, D.C.-based law firm filed the LSA case on behalf of two white applicants and the Law School case on behalf of one white applicant. All three claim that the University unfairly evaluated their admission applicants by using race as a factor in the process.

As part of communicating its message nationwide, BAMN instituted a solidarity statement that explains what incidences and attacks confront affirmative action and integration. The statement was sent to campuses across the country.

Many other organizations on campus have planned activities for the day of action. LSA senior Will Youmans, president of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, described the event as being somewhat of a tradition, since the group has participated in the day for several years now.

To educate students, Youmans said, ADC intends to distribute literature on economic sanctions imposed on Iraq.

Youmans said he hopes "to inform others about Arab-American (discriminatory) issues. It is something the public is not educated about."

The group also will speak about immigrants' rights and will try to "mobilize" people to increase support for affirmative action, Youmans said.

"We're at a historical turning point in American history. The fight to defend affirmative action is the basic struggle over equality in the country. This generation has to step up and renew that fight," Curtin said.

Other Day of Action events include a forum entitled "The History of Integration, Segregation and the Fight for Black Equality," presented by Shanta Driver, national coordinator of the lawsuit interventions, a poetry slam and Law Students for Affirmative Action is hosting "The Missing Dialogue: Race and Gender in Education," which will discuss standardize testing scores.

Day of Action coordinators said the television news magazine 60 Minutes will be filming at a 12 p.m. rally and march that begins on the Diag. The program is preparing for a segment that is scheduled to include a focus on affirmative action and the two lawsuits filed against the University.

10-20-99