Equal Access to Opportunity for All

Expanding opportunity for all requires not only laws prohibiting discrimination but also robust enforcement and proactive efforts to give all communities access to the American Dream. The Opportunity Agenda works to promote equal opportunity policies that embody those principles. Our activities include research on barriers, solutions, and public attitudes; communications efforts to inform policy debates; and promotion of best practices around the country.

As part of this work, The Opportunity Agenda focuses on battling ballot initiatives banning affirmative action. In 2008, opponents pushed for placement of affirmative action bans on the ballot in five states with vote initiatives. In order to assist advocates in meeting the communications challenges they faced, The Opportunity Agenda studied affirmative action in the public discourse examining how affirmative action is being framed by the media, by anti-affirmative action advocates, and by pro-affirmative action advocates.

With this insight, we worked with pro-affirmative action advocates to re-frame the affirmative action issue, use their access to the media to state their case more persuasively, and rebuild broad popular support for race-conscious remedies.

Many of our partners adopted the opportunity and equality frame. They, in turn, were successful in defeating Amendment 46, which would have banned affirmative action in the state of Colorado. By rejecting this ballot initiative, Colorado upheld equal opportunity and preserved initiatives that would promote equal access to opportunity for all Coloradans.

America has always aspired to be the land of opportunity. The idea of equal opportunity is core to who we are as a country. Coloradans voted to continue that tradition.