Jewish Committee opposes Prop. 54

Jewish Committee opposes Prop. 54

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has announced it opposes Proposition 54, Classification by Race, Ethnicity, Color or National Origin," also known as the "Racial Privacy Initiative."

Prop 54 would ban state agencies from collecting racial data for most purposes, adversely affecting  their ability to differentiate between ethnicities, which enables them to develop solutions to problems in our communities, including healthcare and education.

This proposition, if passed, would prevent the state from asking the race or national origin of anyone when collecting data about public education, contracting and employment, for any reason. Demographic information helps groups make smarter choices for the state and local communities.

Banning demographic information about race and ethnicity also undermines accountability. It can prevent agencies from recognizing differences between racial and ethnic groups in healthcare, disease patterns, educational opportunities and academic achievement. Passing this initiative would handicap doctors, educators, community groups, local governments and the state as they work to develop solutions to healthcare, education and other challenges in California’s communities.

AJC believes that Prop 54 would damage the government’s ability to address disparities in race or ethnicity in healthcare and education.

Although this nation has made great strides toward equality over the last several decades, it still has a significant way to go, according to Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, AJC’s western regional director. "Prop 54 intentionally impedes that progress and makes measuring progress nearly impossible," he said.