The USC Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism has released a comprehensive report, written by Newsweek columnist and contributing editor Ellis Cose, on the unforeseen consequences of California’s Proposition 209, approved 10 years ago this November. The measure amended the state constitution to prohibit state institutions from discriminating on the basis of race, sex or ethnicity.

The study finds that in the wake of 209, many minority- and women-owned companies doing business with the state have faced stiff competition from larger competitors and have been forced to close. Minority admission to public universities has also fallen, with figures at top-tier schools, such as UCLA and UC-Berkeley, still below pre-209 levels. At the same time, the bill’s promised benefits have failed to materialize: Economic diversity at state institutions has not improved, and many minorities still feel the stigma of affirmative action. When faced with these results, Cose asks, “How do you go about creating a society where all people – not just the lucky few – have the opportunities they deserve?” The question is made more urgent by the fact that Michigan voters approved a measure similar to 209 in this year's election.

The study – entitled “Killing Affirmative Action: Would ending it really result in a better, more perfect Union?” – is excerpted in the November 13 issue of Newsweek. The report was commissioned by a group of donors that included some national foundations. This is the first project supported by IJJ's new Justice and Journalism Fund. With a grant from the Ford Foundation, the fund provides resources for individual journalists and groups to do in-depth reporting of issues involving justice and equity in America.

Read the report