Are you ready to see the end of programs that address disparities in housing, education, and healthcare access? That is what will happen if Wisconsin voters approve the so-called Equality Amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution this November. Please vote “no” on this amendment.
The proposed amendment purports to prohibit discrimination, which already is illegal under Federal law. This amendment goes further, however, prohibiting state governmental entities from granting preferential treatment to any individual or group “on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting, or public administration.”
What does this mean? It means that Wisconsin’s governmental entities will no longer be able to support programs designed to assist people with minority status, of different national origins, or women. While this means everyone gets treated the same, it ignores the fact that not everyone starts in the same place. When, for example, research shows that Black infants die at three times the rate of White infants in Wisconsin, it is imperative to find out why and look for solutions. Under this proposed amendment, the government could not provide support because it would be “preferential treatment” to a group on the basis of race.
If our government loses the ability to address systemic injustice and inequality, we will find additional gaps in education, housing and healthcare. This amendment would prohibit any governmental efforts to address long-standing disparities. Just vote “no.”
Jerry Iverson,
Appleton
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Write: Letters to the editor, The Post-Crescent, P.O. Box 59, Appleton, WI 54912. E-mail: pcletters@postcrescent.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: LETTER: Appleton reader encourages ‘no’ vote on state amendment AJR 102
Reporting by Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
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By Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
