MICHIGAN
Ten buses carrying Detroit high school students will head to the Capitol on Wednesday to rally against a proposal to end preference-based treatment in university admissions and hiring that might end up on next year's ballot.
The proposal, called the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, would amend the state Constitution to prevent public universities and state government from "discriminating or granting preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin."
A national group - the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigration Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN - which helped organize the rally, filed a legal brief with the Michigan Board of Canvassers last month against MCRI, saying MCRI petition circulators deceived those petitioned to sign their proposal.
"This is a distinct case, a campaign to deceive the public, and for that reason it should not go forward," said Donna Stern, national coordinator of BAMN.
Wednesday's rally at the Capitol will be followed by a public hearing to collect more information from those who say they were lied to by petitioners.
Stern said BAMN wants the Michigan Board of Canvassers to force MCRI to redo their petition.
BAMN took a statistical sample of 500 people who signed the MCRI petition were able to reach 300 of them, Stern said.