Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)

This letter to the editor appeared in the October 1, 2003, issue of India Currents. It was selected as the best letter for the month.

NO ON PROPOSITION 54

Coverage of California’s upcoming election has focused mostly on the gubernatorial recall, but there’s another part of the ballot that our community needs to be aware of.

This op-ed was published in the Sikh Sentinel

OP-ED
Vote No on 54!
Birjinder Singh

September 11, 2003: California

With all the media hoopla surrounding the gubernatorial recall vote, a little-known initiative will also be voted upon on October 7. This initiative, known as Proposition 54, spells bad news for Sikhs in California.

ASATA members wrote this piece for the September 2003 issue of Siliconeer magazine.

Vote No! on Prop 54
by Birjinder Anant and Bhavna Shamasunder.

An initiative on the Oct. 7 is receiving little press, but has potentially tremendous consequences for the lives of all Californians. Proposition 54 advocates statewide censorship — a ban on racial and ethnic data collection throughout the state. If enacted, Proposition 54 (CRECNO—Classification by Race, Ethnicity, Color, National Origin) would censor essential data collection on public health, employment discrimination, racial profiling, education, and consumer protection. If passed, this initiative would have devastating impacts on the South Asian community, particularly in the areas of health and civil rights.