The recent Supreme Court decision to uphold affirmative action is now being challenged in Michigan as a group from California is starting an effort to fight the decision.

On Monday, Ward Connerly, the chairman of the Sacramento-based American Civil Rights Coalition, announced his idea for the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative to a crowd on the University of Michigan's campus. Connerly said it would target racial preferences.

"This campaign that we wage is not about ending affirmative action, it is about ending preferences on the basis of race," he said.

In 1995, Connerly was successful in getting board members at the University of California, where he is a regent, to ban the use of race in admissions. Connerly was instrumental in getting California to pass a 1995 ballot proposal against affirmative action. Also, a similar ballot initiative in 1998 was passed by voters in Washington state. Although the language for the Michigan initiative has yet to be written, he hopes to tailor it after California's.

Supporters of Connerly's initiative and two plaintiffs in the U-M affirmative action case are joining him in his efforts, and he has begun the process that he hopes will help it make the ballot in 2004.

Those efforts include probably the biggest and hardest task of getting signatures in support of his initiative.

Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of the Lansing-based newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, said in order for the proposal to get on the ballot, Connerly will need about 375,000 signatures, which would cost more than $500,000.

"It's going to come down to whether a lot of different groups are willing to spend money to feed it," Ballenger said.

Ballenger said establishments that are supporters of affirmative action are not only willing but are able to raise the money to counter Connerly's initiative.

Generally, Ballenger says the public is against affirmative action. But those interested aren't organized in such a way to come up with the money to support Connerly's initiative, he said.

That means supporters of affirmative action could end up winning solely on the basis of finances, Ballenger said.

A few dozen supporters of affirmative action came to U-M on Monday to protest Connerly's announcement, and three were led away by campus police officers when they wouldn't stop chanting during his speech.

One of those escorted away was Agnes Aleobua, a fourth year U-M education student and BAMN spokesperson. BAMN is the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action & Integration And Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary.

Aleobua played an active role in the lawsuits against the university and her group fought to keep affirmative action alive. After such a stunning victory, not even a month ago, Connerly's announcement came as a surprise to the group, she said.

"We're going to boycott any corporation or institution that tries to fund his initiative," she said. "I think we'll get sufficient support, enough to make this unpopular for any organization that might want to sign on."

Aleobua said Connerly stands alone and only wants to resegregate society, and added it will take a lot of organization on his part to get the signatures necessary.

"I'm optimistic that it won't reach the ballot," she said.

On MSU's campus, the Affirmative Reaction Coalition, or ARC, also was surprised and angered by the announcement.

Laura Sorensen, a member of ARC and co-director of MSU's Women's Council, said her group plans to boycott any institutions or companies that contribute to Connerly's campaign.

"It's just completely ridiculous," Sorensen said of Connerly's initiative. "And it's completely scary that this has happened in two other states."

Sorensen said a lot of people in Michigan support affirmative action, which is what makes the schools so good to attend. If the initiative passes, Sorensen said "it will immediately resegregate higher education."

This isn't the first time Connerly started such a campaign. Four years ago the initiative was explored, but it was suspended on the belief by supporters that the issue would be resolved in court following the two lawsuits against U-M's undergraduate and law schools. The recent Supreme Court decision prompted Connerly to once again explore the idea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sarah McEvilly can be reached at mcevilly@msu.edu