E.L. diversity was not overnight

Proposal 2 effects may not be known for years to come

(Last updated: 08/28/09 6:27pm) As we prepare to commemorate the 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday on Monday, we have an opportunity as a community to seriously consider Dr. King's legacy and his impact on today's society. I have spent time reflecting on King's writings and actions in the context of last year's debate on affirmative action.

I am disappointed that we spent last year debating the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative and its ballot initiative, Proposal 2. Instead of engaging in a healthy and open dialogue about race and its implications in society, we spent countless hours in a divided debate that didn't seek to educate, but rather misinformed and confused voters through election-year antics.

I am proud to say that if the citizens of East Lansing had their say, they would have overwhelmingly defeated Proposal 2 by a 67 percent to 33 percent margin. Their vote was a reaffirmation of our community's support and desire to be diverse and vibrant.

Although I am proud of the citizens of East Lansing for their votes on Proposal 2, East Lansing has not always been a community open to diversity. Forty years ago, as civil rights battles waged in Congress and at state Houses across the country, we fought our own battle at East Lansing City Hall. In the spring of 1965, the city debated an open housing occupancy ordinance to require the elimination of discrimination in sales and rentals.

It was common during that time for realtors to steer minorities away from purchasing or renting homes in East Lansing. In some housing deeds today, you still will find remnants of unenforceable covenants that were created to keep our community closed.

As mayor, I reflect on the irony that today I have the privilege to serve my community, but a generation ago, I would not have been welcomed to buy a house in it. It was a group of neighborhood activists, religious leaders and MSU students and faculty that successfully won that battle and started a process to open up our community.

Their efforts established a foundation that supports the East Lansing we are so proud of today. You can explore our neighborhoods and schools and experience the diversity of the region and MSU. We have the strongest and most aggressive civil rights ordinances on the books in this region and — along with Ann Arbor and Ferndale — in the entire state. If you want to worship in our community, you can find a mosque, a temple, a synagogue and dozens of churches. We are an open community, but we must remember this didn't happen overnight. And, if we are to be honest, we must acknowledge we still have further to go on that journey.

Although many laws are in place to rectify past discrimination, we are not yet at the point where every citizen is afforded the same rights and privileges. As a result, I believe for a limited time, we still need affirmative action programs.

As with any vaguely worded addition to our Constitution, the implications of Proposal 2 are not clear. The courts will spend the next few years interpreting the extent of Proposal 2, and it will be only then when we will know the true impact of this initiative. But during that time, we should consider how we can begin an authentic conversation about race and its impact on education, the economy and our collective quality of life.

We cannot continue with the status quo or pretend there are not real race-based issues that are affecting our state. If we want to prosper as a state, we need to make sure the opportunities for education and economic prosperity are available to all members of the Michigan community who want to work toward that goal. We must heed King's words when he said, "We must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will all perish as fools."

Sam Singh is the East Lansing mayor. Reach him at singhsam@msu.edu.

Originally Published: 01/12/07 12:00am