The following are documents which have contributed to the shaping of African American history. These documents are a starting point for additional research and discussions that help further our understanding of the history of people of African ancestry in the United States.
This initiative measure is submitted to the people in accordance with the provisions of Article II, Section 8 of the Constitution. This initiative measure expressly amends the Constitution by adding a section thereto; therefore, new provisions proposed to be added are printed in italic type … Read More(1996) California Proposition 209
March 18, 1996, Decided OPINION: JERRY E. SMITH, Circuit Judge: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit With the best of intentions, in order to increase the enrollment of certain favored classes of minority students, the University of Texas School of Law (“the … Read More(1996) Hopwood v. State of Texas
AN ACT Relating to prohibiting government entities from discriminating or granting preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin; and adding new sections to chapter 49.60 RCW. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: Sec. 1. (1) The … Read More(1998) Washington State Initiative 200
* Governor Michael F. Easley is hereby substituted for former Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., pursuant to this Court’s Rule 35.3. November 27, 2000, Argued April 18, 2001, Decided JUDGES: BREYER, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which STEVENS, O’CONNOR, SOUTER, and GINSBURG, … Read More(2001) Easley v. Cromartie
No. 02-516. Argued April 1, 2003–Decided June 23, 2003 Petitioners Gratz and Hamacher, both of whom are Michigan residents and Caucasian, applied for admission to the University of Michigan’s (University) College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) in 1995 and 1997, respectively. Although the … Read More(2003) Gratz et al v. Bollinger et al
No. 02-241. Argued April 1, 2003–Decided June 23, 2003 The University of Michigan Law School (Law School), one of the Nation’s top law schools, follows an official admissions policy that seeks to achieve student body diversity through compliance with Regents of Univ. of Cal. v. … Read More(2003) Grutter v. Bollinger et al
March 26, 2003, Argued June 26, 2003, Decided LAWRENCE et al. v. TEXAS CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TEXAS, FOURTEENTH DISTRICT Responding to a reported weapons disturbance in a private residence, Houston police entered petitioner Lawrence’s apartment and saw him and another adult … Read More(2003) Lawrence v. Texas
THE MICHIGAN CIVIL RIGHTS INITIATIVE (MCRI), PROPOSAL 2, AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION (2006) ARTICLE I, SECTION 26: Civil Rights. 1. The University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and any other public college or university, community college, or school district shall not … Read More(2006) The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative
Primary Documents: (Slip Opinion) December 4, 2006, Argued June 28, 2007, * Decided SYLLABUS: Respondent school districts voluntarily adopted student assignment plans that rely on race to determine which schools certain children may attend. The Seattle district, which has never operated legally segregated schools or … Read More(2007) Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1
Title A Constitutional amendment to prohibit 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 public employment, public education or public contracting; to apply the amendment only to … Read More(2008) Nebraska Civil Rights Initiative 424
