Students at several Michigan colleges participated in National Take Affirmative Action Day on Thursday to raise awareness about affirmative action issues.
At MSU, several students dressed in black, showing solidarity with affirmative action supporters, and handed out information at six locations on campus. A poetry slam was scheduled in the Union.
In addition to MSU, Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University participated.
Brandon Jessup, Youth & College Division president for the state of Michigan with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said affirmative action extends to every aspect of a community.
"Affirmative action opens the door and keeps it open," he said. "It helps us be inclusive and to expand our new students to be ready for a global economy that is ever changing."
The topic of affirmative action is important for all students to understand, said Paulette Granberry Russell, senior adviser to the president for diversity and director of the MSU Office for Affirmative Action Compliance & Monitoring.
"Some of the challenge is in people understanding what it is versus what it is not," she said. "Affirmative action is nothing more than a tool. (It is) significant, but one of many tools that can be used to eliminate barriers."
In June 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the University of Michigan, and other universities, could continue using race as a factor in admissions, after a white female applicant said the university exercised reverse racism when she was denied admission.
Granberry Russell said the case against U-M had no significant impact on MSU.
"Our approach to admissions was done in a holistic way, which is what the court determined would be the method for reviewing applicants," she said. "The court endorsed the idea that there are educational benefits that occur after having a diverse campus."
Riana Anderson, a current U-M student who attended the school during that time, said the topic continues to be addressed on campus.
"A flame has been ignited for those for and against it," said Anderson, who wore a gag throughout the day on U-M's campus to represent unheard voices. "It's something everyone has been involved in."
Jessup said several groups participating in the affirmative action day in Michigan also raised awareness about a possible initiative on the November 2006 ballot.
The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, would eliminate the consideration of race, sex, ethnicity, national origin and color in university admissions and government hiring, Jessup said.
"They are deceptive about what the issue is — they use it as a biased tactic to divide people," he said. "The naming is confusing. Civil rights is not about excluding, it's about making sure everyone obtains the rights of a civilian."
Ian Gallardo, a telecommunication, information studies and media junior and co-president of the Asian Pacific American Student Organization, said the group's involvement in the event was also the beginning of its campaign against the initiative.
Granberry Russell said the debate surrounding issues of affirmative action will always exist.
"It was a debate long before and I suspect it will be in the future," she said. "Lessons to be learned about the value of diversity and ways in which we achieve diversity will continue into the future."
