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Approve 88 coalition will defend I-1000, opportunity for all

The following is from the Approve 88 coalition:

OLYMPIA (July 25, 2019) — On Wednesday, in response to the submission of signatures by a group seeking to overturn Initiative 1000 — the Legislature-approved Washington State Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Act — supporters of I-1000 announced the formation of the Approve 88 coalition, which will bring Washingtonians together in defense of I-1000 from now through General Election Day in November 2019.

Enacted on April 28 by the Washington State House and the Washington State Senate, I-1000 amended Initiative 200, which was adopted in 1998, to expand the prohibition on extending preferential treatment to include discrimination on the basis of age, sexual orientation, disability, or military service (whether as an active duty servicemember or as an honorably discharged veteran) while explicitly permitting the state to remedy discrimination against — or underrepresentation of — disadvantaged groups as documented in a valid disparity study or proven in a court of law.

The measure would also create the Governor’s Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Under I-1000, state agencies and institutions of higher education are allowed to create programs and initiatives to ensure that everyone has access to opportunities to improve their lives in the State of Washington.

The Washington State Constitution permits legislatively adopted initiatives like I-1000 to be subjected to a referendum. Should Referendum 88 qualify, as expected, I-1000’s fate will be decided by voters this autumn in a statewide vote. Voters will have the option of keeping I-1000 in place by voting Approve, or repeal it by voting Reject.

Approve 88 will build a strong, robust, and diverse campaign to bring Washingtonians together around the values of inclusion, equity, and opportunity, led by representatives of Washington’s business community and labor movement, with grassroots community partners and distinguished elected officials like former Governor Gary Locke and State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-Seattle).

“I believe I-1000 celebrates our state’s diversity and is the right action to ensure fairness and opportunity for all our citizens,” said Locke, who served as Washington’s chief executive from January of 1997 until January 2005 and later as the United States of America’s Secretary of Commerce and Ambassador to China. Locke worked closely with fellow former Governors Dan Evans and Chris Gregoire to champion I-1000 as an initiative to the Legislature.

“Contrary to some beliefs, I-1000 does not repeal I-200’s prohibitions on quotas, set-asides, or preferences,” Locke said. “I-1000 merely makes it clear that recruitment and outreach are permissible and provides opportunities for veterans, women, and minorities for consideration by universities and colleges for admission and for contracting with governments.”

“I am proud to live, work, and represent a state where people care passionately about extending fair opportunities for educational advancement and employment to everyone,” Santos said. “While signatures gathered for the referendum may have been submitted today, the measure is not yet certified by the Secretary of State. If the measure qualifies, I am confident that our citizens will uphold our long-standing commitment to eliminate discrimination and to ensure fairness for all.”

Businesses, labor unions, civic organizations, and activists are all invited to join the effort to uphold I-1000 by Approving R-88, should it qualify.

“We can’t have shared success without shared opportunity,” said Washington State Labor Council President Larry Brown and Secretary-Treasurer April Sims in a statement released Wednesday. The WSLC supported I-1000 and worked to ensure its successful passage during the legislative session.

“When certain people in our community are denied chances to succeed in our schools and workplaces because of who they are, those lost opportunities and wages hold us all back,” the WSLC statement reads. “We need to say ‘no’ to discrimination and demand better wages and jobs for everyone. We need to support I-1000 by approving Ref. 88 so that everyone in our state has better wages, jobs, and affordable, quality higher education.”

“Inclusion is one of Washington’s most important values,” said Northwest Progressive Institute founder and Executive Director Andrew Villeneuve. “By upholding I-1000, we can improve lives and better communities across our great state. Repealing I-1000 would take us backwards, and that’s not the Washington way. Let’s move forward this autumn by approving Referendum 88.”

The Approve 88 coalition invites all Washingtonians to join in the effort to protect Washington’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Act by visiting approve88.org.

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