Ward Connerly

Two observations regarding the June 19 article reporting Regent Ward Connerly’s concern that the increase in admissions of African American students to UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law indicates that the school had found a way around the ban on affirmative action:

* Racist assumptions voiced by an African American are still racist assumptions. Why does Connerly assume that success by African American students implies affirmative action?

* The rise in African American admissions appeared all the more dramatic because the article cited a 77% increase without bothering to explain that the percentage referred to the increase from 18 to 32 students. The percentage of African Americans admitted represents a whopping 3.7% of all law school admissions (up from 2.1% last year.)

ELAINE CRAIG SEGAL

Los Angeles

* Re “Mixing Commencement and Culture,” June 20: I support Connerly’s questioning of the need for ethnic graduation ceremonies at our public universities. Why should my tax dollars support graduation ceremonies where the Filipino national anthem is played or the speeches conducted entirely in Spanish?

This is America, and publicly funded universities should promote graduation events encompassing students of all races, colors and creeds, not politically correct events which foster ethnic separatism and divisiveness.

It is ironic that civil rights activists fought to integrate universities in the 1960s. Today, the trend is toward resegregation, as evidenced by events like the “All African People’s” and “Raza” graduations. The UC regents should put a quick stop to these ceremonies of exclusion.

JEFFREY A. HARTWICK

Palos Verdes Estates

* Now that Connerly and his right-wing cohorts have succeeded in making people of color feel unwelcome on UC campuses they begin to harass those that are still present. First, they are questioning the educational value of programs and course contents that discuss the rich history of African Americans, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans and other wonderful cultures. Second, they are now attacking student-organized commencement celebrations that highlight cultural pride.

The regents must come out of their cave and realize that we live in a multicultural society in which people of color celebrate their diversity while still being proud members of society as a whole. We do not agree with Regent Sue Johnson’s position that “getting away from where we come from is what America is all about.” With their incremental dismantling of diversity, the regents should openly declare their true feelings, which can be captured in the old racist phrase, “If it ain’t white, it ain’t right.”

PAUL ZAMORANO-REAGIN

San Gabriel

* Let me understand something. It is OK for UCLA to fund “separate but equal” graduation ceremonies, but it is not OK to fund “separate but equal” education.

Connerly is right that public funds should not be used to support what really is a practice of segregation.

BILL SPANIEL

Valencia