Ward Connerly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ward Connerly
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|---|---|
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| Born |
Wardell Anthony Connerly
June 15, 1939 |
| Education | California State University, Sacramento (BA) |
| Known for | California's Proposition 209 Michigan Civil Rights Initiative |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Ilene Crews
(m. 1962) |
| Children | 2 |
Wardell Anthony "Ward" Connerly (born June 15, 1939) is an American activist and businessman. He is known for his work against programs that give special treatment based on race or gender. These programs are often called affirmative action. He also served as a Regent for the University of California system from 1993 to 2005.
Ward Connerly started the American Civil Rights Institute. This group works against preferences based on race and gender. He also leads Californians for Equal Rights, which has a similar goal in California. He is famous for helping to pass Proposition 209 in California. This law stopped the state from using race or gender in hiring, contracts, and university admissions.
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Early Life and Education
Wardell Anthony Connerly was born in Leesville, Louisiana, in 1939. He has said that he has a mixed background. This includes being one-fourth Black, half White, and part Irish, French, and Choctaw American Indian. He sees himself as multiracial.
He grew up in a Black community. However, he and his siblings sometimes faced unfair treatment because of their lighter skin. When he was young, his father left, and his mother passed away when he was four. Ward then lived with his aunt and uncle. They moved to Bremerton, Washington, and later to Sacramento, California. This move was part of the Great Migration. Many Black families moved from the South to find better chances.
Later, Ward lived with his grandmother in Sacramento. She was of mixed heritage, with Choctaw and White roots. To help support them, Ward took many jobs when he was a boy.
Connerly went to Sacramento State College. He graduated in 1962 with honors in political science. In college, he was student body president. He also joined a fraternity and worked against unfair housing rules. He helped pass a state law to stop such practices.
Career and Public Service
After college, Ward Connerly worked for several state agencies. He made many important connections during this time. He worked for Sacramento's city planning department. He also worked for the state's housing department. In the late 1960s, he became friends with Pete Wilson. Wilson later became the Governor of California.
In 1973, Connerly started his own business. It was a consulting and land-use planning company called Connerly and Associates, Inc. He ran it with his wife, and it became very successful.
In 1993, he was chosen to be on the University of California Board of Regents. He served there until 2005. During this time, he became very involved in trying to change state affirmative action programs.
Working for Equal Rights
When he joined the UC Board of Regents, Connerly learned more about how affirmative action worked. In 1994, he heard from a couple whose son was not accepted into UC Medical School. Connerly became convinced that affirmative action, as used by UC, was a form of racial discrimination.
He saw information that showed some students were denied admission even with better grades. He suggested stopping these race-based programs. However, he believed the university could still consider social or economic factors. The regents agreed in 1996, despite protests. After this change, more Asian students were admitted to UC.
What is Affirmative Action?
Affirmative action refers to policies that aim to help groups that have faced discrimination. These policies try to increase opportunities for people from certain racial, ethnic, or gender backgrounds. They are often used in education and employment. Ward Connerly believed these policies could lead to unfair treatment for others.
Key Campaigns and Initiatives
In 1995, Connerly led the California Civil Rights Initiative Campaign. This effort helped put Proposition 209 on the ballot. Many groups opposed it, but it passed with 54.6% of the votes. This law stopped state agencies from using race or gender preferences.
In 1997, Connerly started the American Civil Rights Institute (ACRI). This group supported similar laws in other states. For example, Initiative 200 in Washington state passed with 58.2% of the vote.
In 2003, Connerly helped put Proposition 54 on the California ballot. This measure would have stopped the government from classifying people by race or ethnicity. Critics worried it would make it harder to track discrimination. Voters did not pass this measure.
In 2006, Connerly supported a similar measure in Michigan. This was called the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. It passed with 58% of the votes.
For the 2008 elections, Connerly led a campaign called "Super Tuesday for Equal Rights." This aimed to end affirmative action in five states. Only Nebraska approved a new anti-affirmative action measure, called Initiative 424.
In the 2020 election, Connerly helped lead the effort against Proposition 16. This proposition would have brought back race and gender preferences in California. Voters rejected Proposition 16 with 57% of the votes. This showed that more Californians supported race neutrality than in 1996.
His Beliefs and Views
Ward Connerly identifies as a Republican. He follows a libertarian way of thinking. This means he believes in individual freedom and limited government power.
Supporting Fairness for Everyone
Connerly's beliefs led him to support equal treatment for all. For example, he supported benefits for gay and lesbian domestic partners at state universities. This was even though some political allies disagreed. He believed that government-run universities should not discriminate based on sexual orientation.
He also supported same-sex marriage. In 2008, he spoke against Proposition 8, which aimed to ban same-sex marriage in California. He said that if you believe in freedom, you must oppose efforts by the majority to control others.
Connerly also supported adding a multiracial category to government forms like the Census. He believed people should be able to identify with more than one racial background. Since 2000, the Census Bureau has allowed people to choose more than one racial category.
Legacy and Recognition
- He wrote a book about his life and work called Creating Equal: My Fight Against Race Preference in 2000.
- He was made an honorary member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, a fraternity.
- Connerly was inducted into the California Building Industry Hall of Fame as a lifetime member.
