Students Speaking in Support of Affirmative Action
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund/Americans for a Fair Chance/Student Activist Network in partnership with the United States Student Association (USSA) and the NAACP Youth & College Division are proud to launch Students Speak! Students Speaking in Support of Affirmative Action. In addition, we will invite other organizations to join us in this effort. Launched in October 2004, Students Speak! was created to expose the concerted effort to target minority students, threaten, and thereby roll back progress for all. The campaign will work with college students from across the country to counter these attacks and build multi-racial coalitions on campus.
Following the recent Supreme Court decision (Grutter v. Bollinger), minority students on campuses nationwide have faced a growing trend of ethnic intimidation. This intimidation has come in many forms, ranging from assaults and hate crimes, to satirical theater or racially-insensitive jokes, to bake sales protesting affirmative action. These intimidation tactics are being used by conservative student organizations in order to rollback affirmative action on college and university campuses nationwide and are creating a hostile climate on campuses across the country.
The Students Speak! campaign includes the following:
- Obtaining and featuring written and video testimonials from students on campuses nationwide who have benefited from affirmative action and those who support the continuing need and use of affirmative action programs and polices at their schools. Your story is an example of why affirmative action has been successful!
- Assisting colleges and universities, especially those being targeted by opponents of affirmative action, to develop local campaigns on campuses to expose these intimidation tactics being used by opponents of affirmative action, build multi-racial coalitions on campus, and increase activity in support of affirmative action.
- Developing local campaigns on campus may apply for a Student Impact Grant, for assistance with their work on campus and/or in their local community.
Speak Now! Raise Your Voice!
Students of color and women have made gains in education and the workforce because of such affirmative action programs and policies as recruitment, outreach, and training. These programs have played a critical role in providing qualified women and students of color with access to quality educational and professional opportunities they would otherwise have been denied despite their strong qualifications.
Following the recent Supreme Court decision (Grutter v. Bollinger), minority students on campuses nationwide have faced a growing trend of ethnic intimidation. This intimidation has come in many forms, ranging from assaults and hate crimes, to satirical theater or racially-insensitive jokes, to bake sales protesting affirmative action. These intimidation tactics are being used by conservative student organizations in order to rollback affirmative action on college and university campuses nationwide and are creating a hostile climate on campuses across the country.
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund/Americans for a Fair Chance/Student Activist Network in partnership with the United States Student Association (USSA), and the NAACP Youth & College Division are proud to launch Students Speak! to expose the concerted effort to target minority students, threaten, and roll back progress for all. The campaign will work with college students to counter these attacks and build multi-racial coalitions on campus.
Every student has a story. Students Speak! is obtaining and featuring written and video testimonials from students on campuses nationwide who have benefited from affirmative action and those who support the continuing need and use of affirmative action programs and polices at their schools.
