Church agencies help NAACP host rally at Supreme Court
4/2/2003
NOTE: Photographs are available with this report.
By Joretta Purdue*
Thousands
of people rally in support of affirmative action in front of the U.S.
Supreme Court (not pictured) in Washington. The photo, taken from a
window in the United Methodist Building across the street, also shows a
few of the many media trucks at the event in the foreground. A UMNS
photo by Vince Isner, United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
Photo number 03-127, Accompanies UMNS #198, 4/2/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
Standing
outside the United Methodist Building are (from left) the Rev. Chester
Jones, head of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race; Ken
Fealing, an executive with the denomination s Board of Church and
Society; and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.). They visited while people
gathered for an April 1 affirmative-action rally at the U.S. Supreme
Court, across the street. . A UMNS photo by Vince Isner, United
Methodist Board of Church and Society. Photo number 03-129, Accompanies
UMNS #198, 4/2/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
Al
Sharpton, one of several speakers at the NAACP s rally for affirmative
action, passes in front of the United Methodist Building on April 1.
Radio interviews, hospitality services and information were provided in
tents on the building lawn. A UMNS photo by Vince Isner, United
Methodist Board of Church and Society. Photo number 03-130, Accompanies
UMNS #198, 4/2/03,
No Long Caption Available for this Story
U.S.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) (left) and Jim Winkler, who heads the
United Methodist social action board, chat before the rally April 1. A
UMNS photo by Vince Isner, United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
Photo number 03-128, Accompanies UMNS #198, 4/2/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - Tents filled the small yard at
the United Methodist Building, providing support for the rally under way
across the street at the Supreme Court.
Inside the courthouse,
the justices were to hear arguments in two cases - Grutter vs. Bollinger
and Gratz vs. Bollinger - concerning affirmative action in University
of Michigan admissions policies. The court's decision, expected this
summer, will have implications for affirmative-action policies
nationwide.
Police lined up to keep the rally participants on the
sidewalk, but the crowd grew to fill the four-lane street. Thousands
had traveled great distances to express concern about the potential
erosion of affirmative action.
The April 1 rally, sponsored by
the NAACP, drew appearances by people such as Sen. Edward Kennedy
(D-Mass.), U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and the Rev. Al Sharpton, as
well as several United Methodist Church executives.
Jim Winkler,
chief executive of the Board of Church and Society, pointed to the
denomination's strong stand in support of affirmative action.
"It
is an intentional effort to ensure that racial and ethnic minorities
and women of all colors have the chance to receive all the benefits of
our society including education, employment and housing," Winkler said
in a statement. "The church believes affirmative action opens doors so
that all persons will have the opportunity to pursue the American
dream."
The board, which owns the United Methodist Building,
together with the denomination's Commission on Religion and Race and the
Washington Office of Public Policy, Women's Division of the Board of
Global Ministries, joined in welcoming the rally, which spilled into
adjoining streets and continued throughout the morning. The previous
night, hundreds of college students wrapped in blankets had held a vigil
in front of the court.
"Affirmative action has been incorrectly
labeled as giving preferential treatment to people of color who are
often less qualified," said the Rev. Chester Jones in his statement.
Jones is the chief executive of the Commission on Religion and Race. "In
reality, as admissions and employment decisions are being made, race
and ethnicity are one of many considerations." Other factors,
including academic achievement, athletic abilities and family history,
are also considered in such decisions, he said.
"The vast
majority of affirmative action programs do not consider unqualified
applicants in the same pool as qualified applicants but rather consider
candidates who are very similarly qualified," Jones said.
Although
affirmative action is perceived as harmful to white men, "white men
hold structural power in society today," he said. "According to a
Washington Post study, the vast majority of corporate executives,
political officeholders, tenured professors (and) even small-business
owners are white men."
The number of white people who have
entered the nation's 10 most elite institutions of higher education
through alumni preference is higher than the number of blacks and
Hispanics who have entered through affirmative action, Jones said.
"Creating
a society of opportunity for all people is what is at stake in the
Michigan affirmative action case," he asserted. "Institutionalized
segregation of the past and present still requires the remedy of
affirmative action to provide opportunity where opportunities have been
and still are being denied."
Jones urged United Methodists in
their conference commissions on religion and race to encourage colleges
and universities in their areas to value racial diversity in admission
policies. He suggested monitoring how church-related institutions work
for a diverse student body.
He observed that 11 historically
black colleges and universities are related to the United Methodist
Church. They were founded in a day when black students were denied
admission to most colleges. "Black institutions still lead in educating
the black community largely because racism still plagues society," he
said.
"Given the misconceptions that abound in the debate over
affirmative action, there are several reasons why we, as United
Methodists, should continue to stand strong in our support of
affirmative action," Jones said.
Both men pointed to the
denomination's resolution on affirmative action - No. 150 in the 2000
Book of Resolutions. It says, in part, "No persons - whatever their
gender, their ethnic or racial heritage, their physical condition -
should be deprived of pursuing their education or employment aspirations
to the full extent of their talents and abilities." # # # *Purdue is United Methodist News Service's Washington news director.
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