Statement of the American Association for Affirmative Action

NEWS
Statement of the American Association for Affirmative Action
On the United States Supreme Court’s Decision to Hear the Fisher v. University of Texas Case
Affirmative Action association urges Court to uphold its 2003 decision allowing race as one of many factors in higher education admissions

For Immediate Release: February 21, 2012
Contact: Shirley J. Wilcher
202-349-9855
240-893-9475

Washington, D.C., February 21, 2012 – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to grant certiorari in the affirmative action case of Fisher v. University of Texas. The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), an organization of equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity professionals founded in 1974, urges the Court to follow its own precedent in the Grutter v. Bollinger case in 2003 and continue to hold that diversity in higher education admissions is a compelling state interest. Colleges and universities should be able to consider the whole student, including a student’s race among many factors, to determine who is admitted.

AAAA President Gregory T. Chambers stated: “Now that the Supreme Court has decided to revisit the question of race in admissions decisions, an issue that we hoped had been decided in 2003, we urge the Court to respect its own precedent and uphold the use of race among many factors in higher education admissions.”

“AAAA will actively monitor the briefs and oral arguments offered in the Fisher case,” added Chambers. “As the nation’s demographics indicate, this nation is becoming increasingly diverse and it is not the time to close the doors of opportunity based on race or national origin. Our future depends upon all qualified individuals receiving a chance to compete in education, employment and business.”

Founded in 1974, the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA) is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of affirmative action, equal opportunity, and diversity. AAAA assists its members to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action to enhance access and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.

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www.affirmativeaction.org
American Association for Affirmative Action
888 16th Street, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006
202.349.9855

American Association for Affirmative Action Commends the Obama Administration for Supporting Equal Opportunity and Diversity

American Association for Affirmative Action Commends the Obama Administration for Supporting Equal Opportunity and Diversity in Education Programs

Association of Equal Opportunity Professionals Applauds the Departments of Education and Justice for Issuing Guidance that Supports Educational Opportunities for All Students


For Immediate Release
December 5, 2011
Contact:

Shirley J. Wilcher, Executive Director
202-349-9855; 240-893-9475

Washington, DC, December 5, 2011 – The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), an organization of more than one thousand equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity professionals and institutions highly commends the Obama Administration for issuing guidance that recognizes the “benefits that flow from achieving a diverse student body.” Citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2003 decisions in Gratz and Grutter v. Bollinger the US Departments of Education and Justice issued a joint guidance document that explains what colleges and universities can lawfully do to promote a diverse student body. In so doing, the Obama Administration has stated unequivocally that educational institutions can voluntarily consider race among other factors to promote student body diversity.

“What the Departments of Education and Justice have done is to correctly interpret the Supreme Court’s decisions and to allay any concerns that colleges and universities may have had that their efforts to achieve a diverse student body were inconsistent with the law,” said AAAA President Gregory T. Chambers. “The Administration rightly acknowledged that programs to promote access, equity and diversity benefit all students and assist those who have been historically disadvantaged to compete in the global marketplace,” Chambers added.

OCR and Justice acknowledged the legal necessity of seeking race-neutral alternatives unless they are unworkable and of using a holistic and individual assessment of the student, with race as one of many factors. Institutions can also use socio-economic status, geography, a history of hardships, or percentage plans as in the State of Texas, as additional considerations. What is significant is that the Administration has encouraged recruitment to broaden the pool of qualified applicants, partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUS) and “feeder schools” that are identifiable based on their demographics. This expands upon the range of schools that selective colleges and universities may currently use in their admissions considerations; schools that heretofore (e.g. college prep schools) may have benefited only students who were economically or racially advantaged.

Founded in 1974, the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA) is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of affirmative action, equal opportunity, and diversity. We assist our members to be more successful and productive in their careers. We also promote understanding and advocacy of affirmative action to enhance access, equity and diversity in employment, economic and educational opportunities.

American Association for Affirmative Action Opposes Arizona’s Proposition 107 to End Affirmative Action Programs

AAAA News Release
For Immediate Release: October 29, 2010
Contact: Shirley J. Wilcher (240) 893-9475

Association of diversity and civil rights professionals urges Arizona voters to vote “No”

Washington, DC, October 29, 2010 - The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), an association of equal opportunity, diversity and affirmative action professionals founded in 1974, calls upon Arizona voters to reject Proposition 107, whose intention is to end state affirmative action programs. On Election Day, the electorate will vote on the so-called Arizona Civil Rights Initiative, which will amend Article II of the state constitution. The language of the Initiative is:

“Discrimination or preferential treatment prohibited
Section 36. This state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting.”

This is a creature of Ward Connerly, the former University of California Regent who spearheaded Proposition 209 that ended affirmative action in the state. A form of Proposition 209 was passed in Washington State, Michigan and Nebraska.

AAAA President Gregory T. Chambers stated: “Proposition 107, along with others sponsored by Ward Connerly and the American Civil Rights Institute, have only one purpose: to end the advances made by women and minorities in employment, education and contracting.” Affirmative action laws were added as a means of promoting equal opportunity and remedying the effects of discrimination. “Affirmative action is necessary and fair, prevents discrimination and gives everyone an opportunity to compete regardless of race, ability or gender” added Mr. Chambers. “It minimizes the preferences that some have enjoyed for centuries.”

Discrimination is grounded in prejudice resulting in unjust exclusion of qualified individuals in the workplace, academe and government contracting. There is a well-established history of discrimination against Asians and Hispanics as well as African Americans, women and individuals with disabilities. As demographic changes increase the numbers of those individuals in the USA, it is important to ensure that they have the opportunity and preparation to take their rightful place among today’s and tomorrow’s leaders. Forty-five years is too soon to end a program that promotes diversity and redresses years of exclusion.

AAAA urges Ward Connerly and interested voters to visit the website (www.affirmativeaction.org) and contact the leadership if they have questions about affirmative action, how it works and what it is intended to accomplish. “If you are truly concerned about equal opportunity for all, have a dialogue with us in order to be properly informed about affirmative action law and policy,” said Mr. Chambers.

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American Association for Affirmative Action Responds to Senator James Webb’s Call to End Affirmative Action for Hispanics and Asians

American Association for Affirmative Action
Responds to Senator James Webb’s Call to End Affirmative Action for Hispanics and Asians

Association of diversity and civil rights professionals invites Virginia Senator to meet and discuss what Affirmative Action is and is not

For Immediate Release: July 27, 2010
Contact: Shirley J. Wilcher (240) 893-9475

Washington, DC, July 27, 2010 - The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals founded in 1974, expressed dismay regarding Senator James Webb’s opinion editorial in the Wall Street Journal. In his op-ed titled “Diversity and the Myth of White Privilege,” (July 22, 2010), Senator Webb called for the end of Affirmative Action programs, except for those intended for African Americans. The Association wrote a letter to the Senator on July 27, 2010, and stated:

We agree with your assessment that nondiscrimination laws should be applied
equally among all citizens. You may not know, however, that anti-discrimination
laws, which banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or
national origin in 1964 as well as disability and veterans’ status in 1973 and
1974, protect everyone, including white men and women.

The Association explained that national origin discrimination was among the original covered categories in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because of the persistent exclusion of individuals who, by virtue of their language, ancestry, culture or birthplace were denied access to employment or educational opportunities. “Affirmative action laws were added as a means of promoting equal opportunity and remedying the effects of discrimination,” said Gregory T. Chambers, AAAA President. “Affirmative action is necessary, fair, prevents discrimination and gives everyone an opportunity to compete regardless of race, ability or gender,” he added.

Discrimination is grounded in prejudice resulting in unjust exclusion of qualified individuals in the workforce, academe and government contracting. There is a well-established history of discrimination against Asians and Hispanics as well as African Americans, women and individuals with disabilities in the USA.

AAAA urged Senator Webb to meet with its leadership in Washington, DC in September. “We invite the Senator to have a dialogue with us in order to be properly informed about affirmative action law and policy,” said Mr. Chambers.

Founded in 1974, the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA) is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of affirmative action, equal opportunity, and diversity. AAAA helps its members to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action to enhance access and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities. For more information about AAAA and Affirmative Action, go to http://www.affirmativeaction.org/.

AAAA Mourns the Passing of Dorothy I. Height

For Immediate Release Contact: Shirley J. Wilcher
April 20, 2010 202-349-9855


American Association for Affirmative Action
Mourns the Passing of Dorothy I. Height
“Champion of Equal Opportunity and the Empowerment of All Women”

Washington, D.C. – April 20, 2010 - The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), a national membership organization of equal employment opportunity (EEO), affirmative action and diversity specialists, mourns the passing of Dorothy I. Height, four-decades long president of the National Council of Negro Women and an icon of the civil rights movement. She was 98 years old. AAAA President ReNeé S. Dunman said: “For more than half a century, Dorothy Irene Height was the quintessential women’s rights and civil rights advocate. She stood with the great ones, including A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he gave his historic “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. Dr. Height was inspired by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her mentor was the late Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.

“Dr. Dorothy Height was an advisor of presidents and a tireless advocate for equal opportunity, both domestically and internationally,” added Ms. Dunman. Dorothy Height, called the “godmother of the women’s movement,” dedicated her life to service and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2002. She was also the recipient of thirty-six honorary doctorate degrees.

Dorothy Height graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree. She also did postgraduate work at Columbia University and the New School of Social Work. Dr. Height was denied admission to Barnard College reportedly because it had reached its quota of black women. “With the loss of Dr. Benjamin Hooks, former president of the NAACP, we have lost two civil rights giants within one week,” stated Ms. Dunman.

As we go forward, we will always remember Dr. Dorothy Height’s call to action: “If the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the time."

Founded in 1974, the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA) is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of affirmative action, equal opportunity, and diversity. AAAA helps its members to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action to enhance access and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.
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888 16th Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20006
http://www.affirmativeaction.org/

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Announces New Leadership for 2010 - 2012

AAAA News Release
November 5, 2009
Contact: Shirley J. Wilcher, 240-893-9475

AAAA Board of Directors reflects a wealth of experience in equal opportunity, diversity and affirmative action in higher education, government, private industry and law

Washington, D.C. - November 5, 2009 - The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals founded in 1974, announced the results of its recent membership election for the leadership whose term begins April 2010 and ends in 2012. "We are delighted to have such outstanding leaders in the field of equal opportunity and affirmative action to take the helm of this organization in the years to come," said current AAAA President ReNeé S. Dunman, Esq.

For president, the association elected Gregory T. Chambers, EEO, Affirmative Action and Diversity Manager, Delaware River and Bay Authority. Mr. Chambers was formerly with the Office of Management and Budget, Human Resource Management, State of Delaware. Chambers currently serves on the AAAA Board as Region III director. For First Vice President, Joni Baker, Ph.D., Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, The Texas A & M University System, was elected. Ms. Baker currently serves as Secretary of the Association. AAAA's new Second Vice President,Willyerd R. Collier, Sr., Esq., is the founding Director of the Office of Affirmative Action at the University of Arkansas located in Fayetteville Arkansas. Attorney Collier is presently a Member-at-Large of the AAAA board.

The new AAAA Secretary is Carmen Suarez, Ph.D., who recently joined the University of Idaho as the Director of Human Rights, Access and Inclusion. Ms. Suarez was formerly Director, Office of Diversity and Equity, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. The AAAA Treasurer is Melvin Williams, the current Director of Diversity and International Affairs in the Human Resources Department, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. Mr. Williams is currently director of AAAA's Region VI. President Dunman, who is Assistant Vice President, Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, Old Dominion University, will serve on the board as Immediate Past President in 2010.

The new AAAA officers will join a board with a diversity of backgrounds in higher education, government, private industry and law. Among the members of the board are Matthew J. Camardella, Esq., Jackson Lewis, LLP, Long Island, NY; Jo Bennett, Esq., Stevens and Lee, Philadelphia, PA; Julia Fuentes, PHR, CELS, Peopleclick, Inc., Metairie, LA; John D. Gonzales, JDG Associates, San Antonio, TX.; Harry Payne, CUNY- QCC, New York, NY; Huda Melky, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY; Marshall Rose, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH; Francesca Galarraga, Iowa State University, Ames, IA; Charles Batey, Metropolitan State University, Denver, CO; Sandra Lewis, SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, NY; John Burnett, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, Kingsville, TX; Myron Anderson, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver, CO; and Inderdeep Chatrath, Ph.D., Duke University.

The Association recognizes the outstanding service and contributions of the outgoing leadership team including Alvin Bingham, First Vice President, State of Connecticut, Hartford, CT; Deborah Burris, Second Vice President, University of Missouri, St. Louis; and Andreen Neukranz-Butler, Treasurer, Chicago, IL.

For more information, go to www.affirmativeaction.org.

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888 16th Street, NW, Suite 800 * Washington, D.C. 20006 *202-349-9855 ex 1857 *Fax: 202-355-1399 * www.affirmativeaction.org

AAAA News Release: AAAA Mourns the Passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy

American Association for Affirmative Action
Mourns the Passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy
“Champion of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity through Affirmative Action”

Washington, DC. August 26, 2009 - The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), a national membership organization of equal employment opportunity (EEO), affirmative action and diversity specialists, mourns the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. AAAA President ReNee Dunman stated that “Senator Kennedy was truly a champion of those who were disenfranchised and discriminated against.” While Kennedy was born to privilege, he spent a lifetime bringing hope and opportunity to those who were less fortunate in American society. “Kennedy’s was a life of service to humanity; it was a life well-lived.” Senator Kennedy passed away on August 26, 2009 at the age of 77.

In his years in the U.S. Senate, Kennedy sponsored approximately 2500 pieces of legislation. Of special note are the many bills and enacted laws promoting civil rights and equal opportunity. Senator Kennedy believed that civil rights remained America’s great unfinished business, and he had a major role in every civil rights battle in Congress for the past half century.

In 1964, after his brother’s tragic assassination, Senator Kennedy supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. Kennedy also worked to outlaw the poll tax. Later, Senator Kennedy sponsored the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982 and other legislation, which had the effect of increasing the representation of minorities in Congress and enabling language minorities to participate in the voting process. In the 1980s, Kennedy worked with a bipartisan group of Senators and Coretta Scott King to establish a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

As a champion of equal education opportunity, Senator Kennedy led the effort to overturn the Supreme Court’s Grove City case, which found that Title IX of the 1972 Higher Education Act only applied to a private college’s financial aid department, not the school as a whole. Senator Kennedy also passed amendments to extend the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to include individuals with disabilities and families with children. He also cosponsored the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Among other civil rights bills that Kennedy sponsored were the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which strengthened existing protections and remedies available under federal civil rights laws, including remedies for intentional discrimination and harassment in the workplace; and the Employment Non Discrimination Act which prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

Since the 1960s, Senator Kennedy was a leader in Congressional efforts to preserve federal affirmative action programs. In the 1980s, Kennedy joined other members of Congress in resisting Reagan Administration efforts to weaken Executive Order 11246, which requires equal opportunity and affirmative action for employees of federal contractors. In 1998, he helped defeat a legislative proposal to end federal affirmative action. In 2003, he joined Senate colleagues in filing a brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold affirmative action at the University of Michigan. In 2005, he strongly supported reauthorization of programs administered by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Defense to ensure equal opportunities for minority and women contractors.

Ms. Dunman added that “Senator Kennedy was the legislative champion of the civil rights community. Kennedy was also proactive, seeking to complete the “unfinished business” that was civil rights. We thank Senator Kennedy for his lifetime of service. He will be sorely missed in the months and years to come, when challenges to civil rights and affirmative action laws will undoubtedly intensify, both in the Congress and in the states.”

Founded in 1974, the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA) is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of affirmative action, equal opportunity, and diversity. AAAA helps its members to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action to enhance access and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.

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888 16th Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20006
202-349-9855
202-355-1399

American Association for Affirmative Action Applauds Justice Sonia Sotomayor, First Latina and Third Woman to Serve on the Supreme Court

AAAA News Release
August 7, 2009

Association commends the President and the Senate for acting “affirmatively” to promote equal opportunity in the selection of the 111th Justice of the Supreme Court

Washington, D.C. – The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals founded in 1974, hailed the Senate confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

AAAA’s President, ReNeé S. Dunman, stated that, “The President and the Senate have selected a person who is eminently qualified to serve and who comes from a group that has been historically underrepresented on the Supreme Court of the United States.” Dunman added, “Judge Sotomayor has cracked one of the most persistent glass ceilings in the legal profession.”

Judge Sotomayor is widely admired as a judge with a sophisticated grasp of legal doctrine and a keen awareness of the law’s impact on everyday life. She understands that upholding the rule of law means going beyond legal theory to ensure consistent, fair, common-sense application of the law to real-world facts.

AAAA commends the Senate for confirming the nomination of Judge Sotomayor civilly, respectfully and by a wide margin. “We know that Justice Sotomayor will execute her Constitutional responsibility fully and fairly in the years to come.” Ms. Dunman added: “We look forward to seeing a Court that is more diverse and represents all Americans on the First Monday in October.”

Founded in 1974, the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA) is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of affirmative action, equal opportunity, and diversity. AAAA helps its members to become more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action to enhance access and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.

888 16th Street, NW, Suite 800 * Washington, D.C. 20006 *202-349-9855 ex 1857 *
Fax: 202-355-1399 * http://www.affirmativeaction.org/

American Association for Affirmative Action Expresses Strong Support for the President’s Nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to Serve on the Court

Association applauds the President for acting “affirmatively” to promote equal opportunity in the selection of the Hispanic female nominee

For Immediate Release: May 26, 2009

Washington, D.C. – The American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals founded in 1974, announced strong support for the decision by President Barack Obama to nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. AAAA’s President, ReNeé S. Dunman, stated that, “The President has demonstrated by his actions the essence of affirmative action: selecting a person who is qualified to serve and who comes from a group that has been historically unrepresented on the Supreme Court of the United States.” Dunman added, “By selecting Judge Sotomayor, President Obama has cracked one of the most persistent glass ceilings in the legal profession.”

As did many students who were virtually the first minorities and women to attend Ivy League and other prestigious colleges and universities in the late sixties and seventies, Judge Sotomayor took full advantage of her opportunity, graduating summa cum laude from Princeton University and serving as a member of the Yale Law Journal. She subsequently worked as a prosecutor and corporate lawyer, and when she joined the judiciary, she gained experience both as a trial court judge in the U. S. District Court’s Southern District of New York, and an appellate court judge, U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Ms. Dunman stated, “Like the president who nominated her, when the door of opportunity opened, excellence walked through.”

Judge Sotomayor is widely admired as a judge with a sophisticated grasp of legal doctrine and a keen awareness of the law’s impact on everyday life. She understands that upholding the rule of law means going beyond legal theory to ensure consistent, fair, common-sense application of the law to real-world facts.

AAAA hopes that the Senate will welcome Judge Sotomayor and will execute its Constitutional responsibility fully and fairly in the weeks to come. Ms. Dunman added: “We look forward to seeing a Court that is more diverse and represents all Americans on the First Monday in October.”

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888 16th Street, NW, Suite 800 * Washington, D.C. 20006 *202-349-9855 ex 1857 *
Fax: 202-355-1399 * www.affirmativeaction.org