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The next step?

By Melody Hanatani

Oct. 12, 2003 9:00 p.m.

The fight isn’t over.

One week after Proposition 54 was defeated, opponents of the
initiative say they have a long way to go before they can claim
victory on the fight against racial inequality.

“Defeating Proposition 54 was certainly an important
victory … (but) there is a very clear awareness that this was
only the first step in what will clearly be an ongoing
battle,” said Silas Shawver, a second-year law student and
activist.

If passed, Proposition 54 would have outlawed the state from
gathering information on a person’s race or ethnicity.

Because of its controversial nature, the initiative drew
opposition from health organizations, labor unions, civil rights
groups and students on campus, including the Latin American Student
Association and CalPIRG.

But will student involvement in political movements be
sustained?

Shelly Wright, senior field organizer for the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force and a speaker at the “Day of Action
Against Prop. 54″ rally on Oct. 1 believes interest will stay
at current levels.

Through the defeat of Proposition 54, students developed the
skills they need to prepare themselves for the next issue they feel
strongly about, she said. 

Shawver said he hopes students will keep Proposition 54 in mind
and watch out for similar propositions with different wording.

“A lot of people came together for the first time to fight
54, and these relationships will last,” Shawver said.

Francisco Leon, treasurer of the Latin American Student
Association, added that if students don’t stay focused on the
issue central to the proposition, a reworded one could get passed
under their noses.

Such an initiative may reappear in the future because Ward
Connerly, a University of California regent and author of the
initiative, said he would introduce a similar proposition in the
next two to three years.

If the initiative resurfaces, it may again face strong
opposition from students. Erin Walsh, vice chairwoman of
UCLA’s CalPIRG, believes the reason students never really
expressed any interest in politics prior to Proposition 54 was
because they felt disconnected from the issues.

“(Proposition 54) was finally an issue for the
students,” Walsh said.

Because students worked hard against the initiative and because
it was defeated in the polls, Walsh said students received the
motivation to work for what they believe in.  

“In this case, if you act on something you care about, you
can make a difference. It demonstrates that if you work on
something, you get what you want,” Walsh said.

Shawver, who was an organizer for the Day of Action, said he
believes students will continue the fight against any initiative
like Proposition 54 because there is a lot at stake.

“By ending racial classifications, it would make those of
us who are concerned about unequal access, unequal opportunity,
discrimination and structural disadvantages based on race seem
antiquated and not in touch with our current racial diversity and
mix of racial identities,” Shawver said.

Wright said the proposition wouldn’t have been defeated if
it hadn’t been for students.

“The students were the most active faction,” Wright
said. “I think we wouldn’t have had the success without
the students, because they were the key to energizing their peers
on campus and bringing attention to the community at
large.”

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Melody Hanatani
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