Jesse Jackson at UCLA to Urge Prop. 209 Protest
The Rev. Jesse Jackson came to the UCLA campus Monday to announce a bus caravan and march on Sacramento to protest Proposition 209.
The caravan, which Jackson said would be reminiscent of the 1960s freedom rides, will begin in San Diego on Oct. 18, arrive at UCLA the next day, and slowly wend its way to UC Davis. From there, protesters will march about 40 miles to Sacramento, where they will stage a protest Oct. 27.
Proposition 209, which bans affirmative action in state government programs, including state colleges and universities, has withstood legal challenges. Opponents are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to rule on its legality.
Jackson called on President Clinton to supersede state laws by invoking federal civil rights laws.
“We must build bridges in California, not walls,” he said.
Lolita Pierce, vice president of the Black Law Students Assn. at UCLA, said she supported Jackson’s cause.
“I’m not saying that affirmative action is the [total] answer,” she said. “But we need a . . . recognition that inequality exists.”
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