According to Jordan, as late as 1988, the 1964 Civil Rights Act was not taken seriously by implementers, with minority and women's business participation at 2 .5 percent. "I had never been able to obtain a state contract, until 1988, when Maxine Waters (now a Congresswoman) introduced AB1933 that required a participant goal, in a state contract, of 15 percent for minorities and 5 percent for women. This bill was amended to add 3 percent goal for disabled veterans.

By 1994 California, which has the eighth largest economy in the world, was maintaining one of the world's highest qualities of life, reports Jordan. Yet, many white males were arguing that they should not be held accountable for what their grandfathers and forefathers did to take advantage of profit from discrimination, since the Emancipation Proclamation was passed in 1863, freeing the slaves. Jordan's argues that white males are still the beneficiaries of slavery, segregation and discrimination. "Some of these same men, are receiving more than 90 percent of all government contracting," he states. While a slow reacting group of affirmative action defenders were focusing on opposing the potential California Civil Rights Initiative, there were 14 different bills introduced in the California State Legislature, where if passed, any one of them would make affirmative action a done deal.

Angry white male Republicans gathered 680,000 signatures to put affirmative action on the California ballot. They were helped by three or four black conservatives like Shelby Steele of San Jose State University and Tom Sowell of Stanford's Hoover Institute - both of whom advocate that blacks should not depend on affirmative action to succeed.

Ward Connerly, also advanced his anti-affirmative action message with the help and financial assistance of former California governor Pete Wilson. Wilson also helped Connerly to emerge as a prominent figure in the anti-affirmative action campaign. (continued next page)