The Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice (HCSJ) fosters creative scholarship on race and poverty that
views the law in a social context and is both accessible to the public and reflective of a layered, multidisciplinary
discourse on social justice in California and the nation. Intersecting social science and legal research techniques,
HCSJ conducts original research and engages in research partnerships to examine some of California’s most pressing
social justice issues.
Main Contact:
Monique W. Morris
Director of Research, Senior Research Fellow
mmorris@law.berkeley.edu
A Vision Fulfilled? The Impact of Proposition 209 on Equal Opportunity for Women
Business Enterprises reports on the ways in which the removal of gender-conscious
equal opportunity programs affected women seeking public contracts in California’s
transportation construction industry from 1996 to 2007, focusing on public contracting
trends in the state Department of Transportation (Caltrans). This report investigates
whether the transportation construction industry has successfully responded to
President Jimmy Carter’s call to action in 1980. Have we fulfilled the vision of a just
society in which women have an equal ability to freely pursue their business ambitions?
Women continue to face significant barriers to equal participation in California’s
transportation construction industry. Data consistently demonstrate the underrepresentation
of women-owned firms among those awarded public contracts. This study
and other examinations of equal opportunity in California public contracting find significant
disparities for women following the elimination of gender-conscious equal
opportunity programs.
Legislative Briefing on Proposition 209
On Thursday, April 3, 2008, the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, in partnership with the California Commission on the Status of Women, California Women’s Legislative Caucus, Latino Legislative Caucus, Legislative Black Caucus, Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, and the Insight Center for Community Economic Development hosted a successful legislative briefing on the impact of Proposition 209 on public contracting, employment, and education in California.
Research conducted by the Thelton Henderson Center for Social Justice, the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, and the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity provided legislators and staff with information on the effects of California’s ban on affirmative action on business, employment, and educational opportunities for people of color and women of all racial groups.
The standing-room only briefing offered a framework to discuss legislative options that support inclusive business and educational practices that are in compliance with the California law.
Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation given by the Henderson Center for Social Justice. For more information, please contact Monique W. Morris at mmorris@law.berkeley.edu.
