In 1990, there was a 12% undercount of African Americans in California. Ten years later, the 2000 Census added the option of choosing more than one race, which will add another level to the disenfranchisement of Black people. The distribution of federal funds, the dissolution of affirmative action, enforcement of civil rights laws are included in a host of negative impacts on Black people when African Americans dilute or decrease their numbers by checking another ethnic group.

Also, the political force of 34 million Black people in America may be in jeopardy in the future as more African Americans opt for more than one race. "What descendant of slaves doesn't have some white or Native American blood in him," states Stan Hall, President of the Bay Area Urban League. "With the "one drop theory," a person that has one drop of Black blood is Black! All these so called "multiracial" people are considered Black when it comes to racism in such things as jobs, housing, and contracting. See what difference it makes with the police and the courts?" he continued. The U. S. Department of Health recently released a study showing that white high school seniors are seven times more likely than African Americans to have used cocaine as well as heroin, but African Americans are seven times more likely to be in prison for the same crimes.

Now that Jesse Jackson's leadership has been seriously affected by his extra-marital child support controversy, many Black power brokers are meeting and discussing who will speak for the majority of Black Americans. "That shouldn't really matter that much," comments Carol Tatum, a community activist in San Francisco. "Other ethnic groups don't have leaders," she continued. But San Francisco's Dr. Ernest Bates, Chairman and CEO of American Shared Hospitals (American Stock Exchange) feels otherwise. "We are an oppressed people! We have been enslaved, segregated, discriminated and benign neglected. We still need leaders, nationally and locally, to constantly lead our struggle."

However, there is one accomplished Black leader that is not a civil rights leader, but is considered key in the conspiracy to disenfranchise Black people. His name is Ward Connerly. Backed by conservative whites, the U.C. Regent was the leader in passing Proposition 209, "gutting" affirmative action for minorities and women in California in 1996. Now he has submitted a ballot measure to the California Attorney General to eliminate State information classified by race. That means that no one will be able to monitor discrimination because it will be illegal to state the number of Blacks and other minorities in any State agency holding jobs, receiving contracts or enrolled in the University of California. Some call it the "see no evil" proposition.

When I filed a lawsuit against the State of California requiring the disclosure of race and gender information by all State agencies, I called the non-disclosure of data, "sweeping the dirt under the rug." If the ballot measure passes, not only will there be no data to prove discrimination, but there will be no state or local data allowed to analyze and treat African Americans for prostate cancer, sickle cell anemia, breast cancer or AIDS