Californians for Equal Rights

With a mission to advocate, educate, and fight for equal rights, Californians for Equal Rights (CFER), a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, was founded by several civil rights organizations in June, 2020. CFER embraces the core values in the US constitution and believes in equal opportunity, merit, and individual liberty. CFER actively engages in community mobilization and is becoming the leading power in opposing 2020 California Proposition 16, previously named as Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 5 (). Proposition 16 aims to amend California state constitution ([https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCodeCONS&sectionNumSEC.%2031.&article=I#:~:text=1%20adopted%201879.%20)-,SEC.,public%20education%2C%20or%20public%20contracting. Section 31 of Article I]) and repeal Proposition 209, which prohibited government from granting preferential treatment to or discriminating against anyone based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public education, public employment, and public contracting. It has passed the California legislature and will be on the November ballot for voters to decide.
Overview
The CFER was funded by a broad-based coalition of civil rights organizations and strives to uphold America's fundamental principles of equal rights. To accomplish this mission, CFER is devoted to public education, community outreach, and grassroots advocacy campaigns. Currently, CFER is taking efforts to push back legislative attempts, proposition 16, that would re-institute racial and gender consideration in government programs.
Organization
Leadership
The CFER is led by a president Ward Connerly, two co-chairs Gail Heriot and Manuel Klausner, and three honorary co-chairs , Betty Chu, and Wei Wah Chin. Collectively they act as the CFER board of directors facilitating policy-setting. CFER also has an executive board that manages the daily operations of the organization. The board consists of president Ward Connerly and six other persons including leaders from its affiliate as well as one at-large delegate.
Affiliates
Most of the organization's workload is performed by its local affiliates or groups. There is at least one affiliate organization or group in each county across California. Among them, Silicon Valley Chinese Association Foundation (SVCAF), Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE), TOC Foundation (TOCF), San Diego Asian Americans for Equality (SDAAFE) are some of the major ones engaging in fundraising, local outreach, and campaigns.
Positions
In its official position statement, CFER supports prop. 209 which "prohibits the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting", and believes prop. 16, which is to repeal prop. 209, will "put a political band-aid over deeper socioeconomic challenges at best, and violate a series of federal and state laws".
Campaigns
CFER has started several grassroots campaigns to protest Proposition 16 and defend Proposition 209:
*On July 3, 2020, SVCAF and local volunteers led a car parade to protest against Proposition 16 and defend Proposition 209 in Cupertino, California, which drew more than 200 cars and hundreds of people from different backgrounds and races to attend the event.

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