Daily Egyptian

After a concise autobiographical introduction, affirmative action critic Ward Connerly fostered a lengthy debate Thursday evening about racism, equality and fairness in society.

Many audience members questioned how, as a black man, he could oppose affirmative action as a remedy for past and present discrimination. He resolutely defended his belief that race should never influence government decisions.

Connerly said rewarding a college or job applicant based on skin color is no different than restaurant owners refusing to serve his family in the 1950s.

"My views are the same as they were 40 years ago," he said. "I feel race discrimination was wrong then and it's wrong now."

Brodrick Johnson, a junior studying foreign language and international trade from Evanston, said he came to Connerly's speech at the Lesar Law Building to hear a response to what he believed was the best argument for affirmative action. Johnson said America exploited black slaves for more than 100 years, and the government should make it easier for blacks to become educated.

Sparring with Johnson for about a 10-minute discussion, Connerly said the problem with affirmative action is not that it repays undeserving people, but that it is too broadly awarded. Affirmative action awarded based on socio-economic status makes more sense, he said.

Johnson said his views on affirmative action were not changed, although he left with more understanding of the opposing arguments.

"I have a better understanding of his perspective," Johnson said. "I wish more people like him could come speak."

The auditorium was packed with a racially mixed crowd, filling not only the seats but also much of the standing room in the back. Some audience members said Connerly changed their opinions, while others thought he lived in "a fantasy world where racism doesn't exist."

Connerly was orphaned at a young age and spent much of his childhood bouncing between relatives in California and Washington. He graduated with honors from Sacramento State College in 1962, and later experienced much success as a land use consultant.

His main focus is that success happens through hard work regardless of race.

He first criticized affirmative action policies as a member of the University of California board of regents in the mid-90s. Connerly promoted and passed a proposal that removed race from admission decisions but allowed economic and social factors to influence choices.

Connerly then supported Proposition 209, a ballot proposal to ban race-based admissions and hiring in California state agencies. After the measure passed, Connerly formed the American Civil Rights Institute in 1997 to fight what he considered discriminatory programs nationwide. After he helped pass similar legislation preventing race-based hiring practices in Washington, he turned his attention to Florida and later Michigan.

The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, similar to the measures Connerly passed in California, will appear on the 2006 Michigan ballot.

Chancellor Walter Wendler, while unable to attend for personal reasons, said Connerly speaking at SIUC was prestigious, regardless of his politics.

"He's a national figure," Wendler said. "He's someone who's really had an impact on race relations and affirmative action."

Wendler said Connerly's presence on campus was timely, given the Justice Department's recent charges that SIUC was engaging in hiring practices based on race. Connerly comes to Carbondale at a time when administrators are discussing a consent agreement with the Justice Department.

Racial minorities should not receive preference over white people in scholarship and admission decisions because students are different in more ways than race, Connerly said.

"It trumps all other differences in American life," he said.

He agreed with audience members who said poor minority children receive lower quality education than upper class children but said, "the answer is not to give them extra points near the end of the contest. It's to give them extra points when the contest begins."

Connerly's speech also ties into "Conservative Coming Out Day", a panel discussion held Tuesday where local right-wing students talked about experiences on what they called a "liberal campus."