Ward Connerly, a controversial leader in the anti-affirmative action movement, will address the campus today at noon in the Student Union Ballroom.
The event, which is sponsored by the UMass Republican Club, is the second in a series of measures by the club to bring conservative speakers to campus, including speaker David Horowitz.
“So far we have gotten a good response, and it has created some discussion,” Pat Decourcy, President of the Republican Club explained about the lecture series and both speakers’ views on affirmative action. “People are talking about it, people are thinking about it, and people took a stand on the issue.”
Known by the public as a rising star among conservatives, Connerly has spread his message on programs such as ABC News, spoken to Rev. Jesse Jackson on “Meet the Press” and has been profiled by the New York Times. He is particularly offensive to many because he is against affirmative action, but is, himself, a minority. In addition to holding a position on the California Chamber of Commerce and serving as chairman of the California Governor’s Foundation, Connerly is a published author and has written a number of pieces about his views for a variety of prominent newspapers.
As a member of the University of California Board of Regents, he helped in 1995 to deconstruct the system of race-based affirmative action throughout the school. He has been on the board of Regents since 1993.
Decourcy explained that the club felt that Connerly was a good choice for a speaker to bring to campus because of the current decrease in minority student on campus. According to Decourcy, following the elimination of affirmative action in the University of California system, the enrollment of minorities actually went up.
“We still feel that affirmative action is an important issue on campus and we like the way he approaches it,” he explained. “We thought that it would be a good idea to bring him here and that it would serve as an educational experience for everyone.”
More controversy was heaped onto Connerly when he angered affirmative action supporters by committing what they felt was a insult to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. On the birthday of the famous Civil Rights activist, Connerly announced that he was forming a non-profit group to fight against race-based affirmative action worldwide.
Because of the stigma that surrounds Connerly and previous angry incidents on other college campuses, the club has heightened security for the event. The last time that Connerly was invited to speak in the area was in 1998 when he addressed the Amherst College campus. However, protests from Amherst College and UMass students made it difficult for him to speak. Decourcy explained that in order to prevent such incidents from occurring again that there would be students working as security, as well as off-duty police officers, who would check bags and pat down individuals at the door to search for weapons. Food and drink are also prohibited for the event.
The talk is free and open to the public.
