There is much to do about Iran emerging as our global enemy, but former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami visited Washington on September 8, 2006 calling for dialogue to resolve the relations between the U.S. and Iran. Many may not recall, but when affirmative action was being “trashed" in 1996 with Proposition 209 in California, President Khatami was promoting affirmative action in Iran, granting women rights and privileges that had never been seen before in the Arab world. His call for moderation between our countries is indicative of a forward thinking and progressive leader, regardless of what one thinks of his successor or the country of Iran today.

Meanwhile affirmative action proponent, Rev. Jesse Jackson was visiting Syria, Lebanon and Israel seeking the release of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners and an extension of the fragile cease-fire. While this was going on, another fiery affirmative action proponent, U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced congressional legislation for sanctions against Sudan where 400,000 civilians have been killed and 2 million displaced in Darfur, the western part of Sudan. Tirelessly, she traveled to Sacramento for similar State legislation, and on Monday, Sept. 25, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill requiring divesture of companies doing business in Sudan by the State of California and the State pension funds, CalPERS and CaISTRS, the two largest pension funds in the world.

Popular world leaders, like former President Clinton, defended affirmative action, former Secretary to the United Nations Andrew Young implemented affirmative action and former Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown, exported affirmative action. If current Black affirmative action proponents, Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele and Black Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., win their respective senate seats in November 2006, they will be great assets to the U.S. in the international arena. So whether we go from Benjamin Franklin, our nation’s first great statesman and President of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery to former U.S. Secretary of State General Colin Powell, one of the most outspoken advocates of affirmative action today, there seems to be a unifying character. Those who believe in affirmative action also passionately believe in the well being of the global community.

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