The University of California is “ending the requirement that diversity statements be used in hiring,” the California Globe reports, “the latest move away from diversity-based hiring and applying measures at the UC system.” Lost in the shuffle is California’s previous move to end “diversity-based” hiring, code for racial and ethnic hiring banned by state law.
In 1996, state voters passed the California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), Proposition 209 on the ballot, that banned racial and ethnic preferences in state education, employment, and contracting. Contrary to popular belief, the measure did not ban “affirmative action.” The state could still lend students a hand on an economic basis but could no longer admit and hire on the basis of race and ethnicity. At the time, state officials had forgotten a lesson from 1978. (RELATED: DEI in the Ashes: Special Envoy Ric Grenell and EPA Head Lee Zeldin…
