The NAACP is the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.
The NAACP says it will fight “tooth and nail” against an effort to restrict affirmative action policies at Tennessee schools. Legislation from Dickson Senator Jim Summerville would prohibit public universities from considering race, gender or ethnicity when handing out scholarships.
President and Director of Tennessee NAACP Gloria Sweet-Love says this legislation would be a huge step backwards for minorities.
“We are fighting fights that we thought we were finished fighting. I cannot fathom why a legislator would believe that something that divides people in the state would be good for the state.”
The Tennessee Board of Regents has concerns about Summerville’s legislation being too broad. For example, a TBR official asks what would happen to programs that try to attract more women in science disciplines.
Similar legislation preventing affirmative action has passed in several states, including Arizona, Michigan, and California.
Discussion of Summerville’s bill will take place in Senate committee this week.
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