Rev. Jesse Jackson, a nationally renowned civil rights leader
and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH coalition ““ a progressive
coalition that advocates social change ““ is scheduled to
appear in Bruin Plaza today. Jackson hopes to urge students to vote
against the recall and Proposition 54, student government officials
and a spokesman for Rainbow/Push said.
Jackson’s appearance comes a day before many students will
hit the polls to help determine the future of California, as Gov.
Gray Davis faces a historical recall election that may remove him
from office.
The appearance also marks an attempt by opponents of Proposition
54 to push their campaign down to the wire in order to get people
to vote no on the initiative.
Jackson’s UCLA rally is part of a three-day tour of
California college campuses, including rallies at the University of
California Santa Cruz, Stanford and Cal State Sacramento, said a
spokesman for the Southern California bureau of Rainbow/PUSH.
Jackson has also recently spoken at UC Berkeley.
Proposition 54, an initiative spearheaded by UC Regent Ward
Connerly, will appear on the Oct. 7 ballot, and, if passed, will
prevent the state from collecting data about a person’s
race.
Opponents of the initiative, including Jackson, have labeled it
the “Connerly information ban initiative.” The
proposition has drawn criticism from doctors, teachers, police
officers and government officials, all of whom argue for the
importance of racial information.
“We will not allow Ward Connerly to place a “˜gag
order’ on the collection of data and information needed to
analyze social problems, design public policy and identify positive
solutions,” Jackson said in a statement on
Rainbow/PUSH’s Web site.
Jackson has also spoken against the recall election, labeling it
an “attempt to torpedo our democratic process” and
calling it part of “a pattern of destruction unleashed by the
right-wing.”
Jackson’s appearance at UCLA will also be part of a larger
effort by student leaders to educate voters and promote awareness
about National Coming Out Week.
Jackson’s speech will be preceded by a rally for National
Coming Out Week and followed by a general information session for
students who want to volunteer on election day to get students out
to vote, said Allende Palma/Saracho, the internal vice president of
the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
“It’s really an opportunity for anyone who wants to
be part of the (election) process,” he said.
Palma/Saracho added it was a coincidence that Jackson’s
rally follows a campus-wide day of action against Proposition 54 on
Oct. 1, but it represents a “contiguous effort to do as much
as we can to get UCLA to have a strong voice in opposition to
Proposition 54.”
Jackson is scheduled to appear in Bruin Plaza today between
12 p.m. and 1 p.m.