In 1996 Jennifer Gratz was unfairly rejected admission to the University of Michigan despite placing 12th in her graduating class with a 3.8 GPA along with numerous extra curricular activities including serving as Student Council Vice President and being an Honor Roll Student for multiple years.

Her failure to be admitted revealed a racial based acceptance system the University of Michigan had been operating on for more than a decade. She sued and her case was decided in her favor in the Supreme court in 2003.  Although this was a win, U of M was able to continue some racial preferences and won a companion suit.  But there was more..

Following the Supreme Court decision Gratz organized the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI). As Executive Director of the MCRI, Gratz spearheaded the effort that secured a record 500,000+ signatures to amend the Michigan constitution to end race and gender preferences. In a landslide victory the MCRI (Proposal 2) passed by a margin of 58%-42%. As the Executive Director of Proposal 2, Gratz helped make history when the people of Michigan didn’t settle for state sponsored discrimination, but voted to make it unlawful for public employers, public contractors, and public education to discriminate or grant preferential treatment on the basis of race, ethnicity, skin color, sex, or national origin.

The 58% of Michigan of voters who supported equal opportunity in 2006 are facing a federal challenge today.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday on the legality of the constitutional amendment that passed with 58 percent of the vote in 2006.

Civil rights groups along with University of Michigan students, faculty and applicants sued in late 2006, saying the anti-affirmative action measure discriminates against minorities by permitting many other non-academic factors besides race.

Yeah.. you know factors like “grades,” predisposition to actually pursue your education, ability to understand the material..  Unfair stuff like that.

The left sure likes Democracy..  until it works against them.

In 2006 Michigan voters reminded our government institutions that racism by rewarding skin color over ability or effort is quite wrong.  Fortunately for that majority of voters, Michigan has an aggressive advocate of equal opportunity fighting for it..

State Attorney General Mike Cox, whose office is defending the law, said voters spoke “loud and clear.”

“I am confident the court will again reject this attempt by activists to overturn the will of the people,” he said in a statement

Undoubtedly, the liberal failure to recognize racism in its own efforts, will likely rear its head again. Efforts by those who confuse equal outcomes with equal opportunity sometimes muddies the debate.  Certainly the supporters of such efforts to undermine the will of the people watch for openings and changes of the guard.  Hopefully we will continue to have the champions for what is right, looking out for our state in the coming years as we do now.

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