Letter to Editor | Why we should support Referendum 88

— from Cindy Wolf —

Approving Referendum 88 on I-1000 means YES on affirmative action, without quotas. I like quotas, as they hold people to measurable accountability, but if we cannot have quotas, let’s institutionalize the idea of fairness. Human beings are inclined to mentor, hire and promote those most like themselves  I-1000 reminds us that real fairness means that when, for instance, job qualifications between two candidates balance out, the extra step should be taken to make sure opportunity balances out for society as a whole.

My father is a man of honor, principle and logic, a combat veteran, West
Point graduate and mathematics instructor at an urban community college.
He is deeply committed to the idea of meritocracy and keenly aware that
many qualified people who have worked hard for a shot at fulfilling their
personal potential get denied that opportunity because the one who can
grant it to them is more comfortable working with someone culturally
familiar. In his long tenure as Chair of his mathematics department, he
was willing to deal with his personal discomfort to hire and mentor people
from all over the world and recruit brilliant women. The result is an
intellectually vibrant, nationally recognized Mathematics department that
has boosted literally thousands of young people, mostly immigrants or
first generation citizens, into professional careers where they can push
the boundaries of thought and practice excellence. This vibrance is the
proof of social health created by fair play.

My own professional life began at a time when gender balances in our
country were just shifting. Doors were cracking open to career paths for
women outside of paid domestic help, elementary school teaching and
administrative work. I owe many of my skillsets and professional
opportunities to men like my father who valued my capacities beyond my
gender and saw justice in coaching and shielding me; the history teacher
who mentored me in formal logic, the technical theater professors who
taught me skills, hired me out of college and introduced me to the
networks of freelancers where I made my living, the managers I had in the
wine industry who trusted me to run departments and sit at corporate
tables back in the day when I was often the only woman at a 20 person
meeting. They benefitted, too, gaining understanding of whole market
segments they could not otherwise reach. None of these men asked for any
payback other than professional success on my part. They knew dignity wasa component of a fair shot and enjoyed the knowledge that they were
bringing balance to a lopsided equation. I continue to work to share the
skills I gained with the people of my community.

“With Liberty and Justice for all” is a lofty goal, and we do not yet know
the results of this grand experiment, but the preliminary results are
promising. There is a richness in diversity that few other countries on
earth are so well positioned to bring to fruition. I-1000 is a piece of
good stewardship towards the realization of that dream.