What’s new? For the first time in 10 years, since Prop 209 demolished affirmative action, there has been some movement back to affirmative action, AKA supplier diversity, equal opportunity, disadvantaged business enterprise, emerging business or whatever, in California State contracting. On July 21, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order and Transportation Construction Industry Partnership agreement calling for a 10% goal for small disadvantaged businesses, which are mostly minorities. A Small Business Enterprise Officer, Bay Area African-American Sam Wallace, was named by the Executive Order to facilitate the participation of small and minority firms in a proposed $19 billion transportation infrastructure bond on the November 2006 ballot. This acknowledges the increasing voting power of minorities to demand more than 5% participation in State contracts.

Focus has been on UC Berkeley’s miniscule admissions of African Americans since Prop 209, prompting Chancellor Robert Birgeneau to recently create a new Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion. Now, the UCLA Chancellor has admitted that only 18 African American males, not on athletic scholarship, will be among UCLA’s 5,000-freshman class. “This is predictive of the continued failure of our society, where the unemployment of African American males in New York City and several other US cities is over 50%.” states Dianne Fuller, Administrator for the newly named Thelton Henderson Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law. “The uplifting of a people begins with education, and this is unconscionable,” she continued. So, what’s new in Academia? NOTHING!

In the meantime, Ward Connerly, the Black man that led the Prop 209 campaign, works for two anti-affirmative action nonprofit organizations in Sacramento, that together pay him over $1,000,000 salary annually. In a past New York Times article, I characterized Connerly as “a paid assassin,” against his own people. Currently, two Black Congressmen have called for an IRS investigation for excessive pay by the nonprofits.

On the local scene, Wachovia Bank came to Oakland in the acquisition of World Savings. Wachovia, an East Coast name that no one ever heard of or can pronounce, is the size of Wells Fargo Bank and could be a great asset to Oakland. Known for its diversity and philanthropy in the Eastern US, surprisingly the bank has balked at proposed community reinvestment commitments to the Oakland community and remains non-committal on keeping the World headquarters in Oakland. ‘Can’t win for losing” says my mother.

However some things are new. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was selected for Vanity Fair magazine’s list of America’s best-dressed women. General William Ward becomes Army’s fifth Black four-star General. But in the world of economics, Black businesses struggle to participate in 1% of the economy while $20 billion is paid out each year to farmers not to farm. So, what’s new in business? NOTHING!