PRESS RELEASE - For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME)
733 Fifteenth Street, NW - Suite 430. Washington, DC 20005 - Website: www.nameorg.org

CONTACT: Jill Moss Greenberg, Executive Director - Phone: (202) 628- 6263
Fax: (202) 628-6264 or e-mail: name@nameorg.org

DATE: Aoril 1, 2003

SUBJECT: Resolution on Affirmative Action WASHINGTON, DC -

The National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME), the primary national organization working for educational equity and social justice through multicultural education, issued the following Resolution on Affirmative Action:

Resolution on Affirmative Action
National Association for Multicultural Education

The fate of affirmative action is now in the hands of the Supreme Court. This legal decision will impact the recruitment and retention of students of color and women in higher education institutions, professional schools and workplace opportunities. There is no doubt that a significant number of people of color and women in higher education, in the workforce and in the military are there due to the implementation of affirmative action policies and practices. Because of the importance of affirmative action in assuring diversity and equitable opportunities, the National Association for Multicultural Education has issued the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) believes in the policies and benefits of affirmative action to create a more diverse educational and workplace environment; and

WHEREAS, NAME believes that barriers to employment and promotion still exist for people of color and women, however, affirmative action simply opens the doors to opportunity and advancement for all Americans; and

WHEREAS, NAME believes that affirmative action has always been about providing women and minorities with full educational and workplace opportunities and not about quotas; and BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that NAME strongly supports the University of Michigan's admissions policy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME opposes President Bush's position that the University of Michigan used race quotas when the admission's policy uses race as one of many factors to enhance a student's chance of admission; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME strongly opposes the belief that the U.S. is a race neutral society and that leaving admissions and employment decisions to "good faith" will not guarantee educational and workplace opportunities for people of color and women at a time of increasing demographic changes for these groups; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME calls for full support of affirmative action policies as a means of providing educational and workplace opportunities to people of color and women. The National Association for Multicultural Education is the leading international and national organization in the area of multicultural education. Founded in 1990, its membership includes P-12 educators, higher education faculty, administrators, school board members, students, governmental officials and community activists.

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