Ward Connerly, the so-called “racial privacy” movement guru who successfully led the Proposition 209 effort in California, has now publicly announced, accepted, embraced the Ku Klan Klan’s support for the measure.
Even this: “God bless them,” said Connerly of these kindred spirits, in a controversial video broadcast circulating on YouTube.com.
At issue is a proposal on Michigan's ballot that would ban affirmative action in both university admissions decisions and the awarding of state business contracts.
As reported by the Associated Press, Connerly defended his remark after the controversial video began circulating widely, saying he accepts support for banning affirmative action "wherever he finds it".
Connerly, a one-time Regent of the University of California, was a main leader of the Prop 209 effort, which barred California public universities and other institutions from considering race or gender in admissions and hiring. According to the AP, the ballot initiative is blamed for plummeting numbers of Black, Hispanic and Native American students in the year following its passage.
