The San Jose/Silicon Valley chapter youth branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) advocated for people to vote yes on Proposition 16, which repeals the current ban on affirmative action, during a rally at San Jose City Hall Saturday.
Nearly 150 protesters at city hall stood six feet apart in front of the stage and held up signs that read “You can’t fight racism without acknowledging race” and “Time for some real action: affirmative action.”
“Prop 16 provides us with a very unique tool to undo . . . what can only be described as white supremacist theory dressed up as state policy,” said Efraín Delgado, civic engagement community organizer for the San Jose Asian Law Alliance, a nonprofit that provides justice system access to Asians, Pacific Islanders and low-income populations in Silicon Valley.
If passed, Proposition 16 would repeal Proposition 209, which was passed in 1996 and states that the state government and public institutions cannot discriminate against or give preferential treatment to someone based on their race, ethnicity, sex or national origin.
Delgado said Proposition 209 is an example of laws that systematically bar Black people, Indigenious people, people of color, women, disabled people and other minorities from accessing resources and opportunities in ways that are normalized.
Proposition 16’s policy on affirmative action proposes for race, ethnicity, sex and national origin to be taken into account to increase opportunities including employment and college admissions for people who are underrepresented in society.
Elizabeth Kamya, a San Jose resident and 2019 Santa Clara University alumna, said colleges and universities need Proposition 16 in order to be fair and equitable.
“I’m tired of being in the classroom where I don’t see professors that look like me, or I don’t have classmates that look like me,” Kamya said. “When that happens, you miss out on those viewpoints, you miss out on building a better future.”
Dave Cortese, District 3 supervisor and California State Senate candidate, said at the rally that Proposition 16 is something that should have been passed a long time ago.
“We’re taking recognition of something that should have happened in 1965,” Cortese said. “I don’t want to miss this opportunity. I don’t really care what people say and we can do it over the next six weeks.”
Kyle Dacallos, president of NAACP’s San Jose/Silicon Valley youth branch said members got involved with “YES on Prop 16” to correct any misinformation about the campaign.
“We just wanted to show that we have strength in numbers, especially with these communities that [people against Proposition 16] think they are speaking for,” Dacallos said.
District 27 assemblymember Ash Kalra urged the protesters at the rally to speak out for Proposition 16 in their communities because many people don't know what it’s about, whether it's because of misinformation or they just haven’t heard about it.
“People are a little distracted right now,” Kalra said. “They’re distracted with the coronavirus pandemic, they’re distracted with all the nonsense they’re watching in D.C., they’re distracted by wildfires, they’re distracted from being unemployed and broke. So we have to take it upon ourselves to educate those so they know what [Prop 16] is about.”
San Jose resident Brigit Helms said she moved to San Jose two months ago and was shocked to find out that California is one of nine states in the U.S. that bans affirmative action.
“One of the benefits of moving to California is to move to the state that presumably has the most progressive policies on the left,” Helms said. “So I'm really happy to be here to support this because I fully believe in affirmative action and the opportunities needed to even the field so that everybody can get a chance.”
Dacallos said San Jose NAACP youth partnered with East Side Union School District youth and YouthHype on some Saturdays to host “YES on Prop 16” rallies and endorse affirmative action in San Jose.
According to its website, YouthHype is a community-based organization that empowers youth from disenfranchised and marginalized communities.
Sameena Usman, SJSU alumna and government relations coordinator for the California Council on American-Islamic Relations, said at the rally that admission rates at University of California campuses have dropped 26% for Latinx and Black students since affirmative action was banned in 1996.
“Prop 16 is our chance to change that by ending the ban and extending opportunities for all,” Usman said. “Let’s push back against racist agendas. Let’s build a better future in California. Let’s build a California where Black lives matter and our systems are just.”
