Reflections on Affirmative Action in Construction
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Can You Dig It?
Affirmative Action and African Americans
in the Construction Industry
This article was delivered as a speech to National Association for Minority Contractors 29th Annual Conference: Gateway to the 21st Century opening session, June 25, 1998.
On July 23, 1969, I was one of the leaders who shut down Chicago construction sites because of the absence of black workers and contractors in HUD-financed building projects. Hundreds of demonstrators were inspired by Presidential Executive Order 11246, which required contractors on federally assisted construction projects to not only cease discriminating against blacks, but take "affirmative action" to increase African American participation. Although employment, university admissions, and political districting rank high in the debate over affirmative action I would like to draw attention to the very distinct area in which I participated at the outset: Blacks in the Construction Industry.
My argument will take the form of the question: "Can you dig it?," or, DIG, an acronym for Deception; Ignorance; and Greed.
Deception
There is no question that Blacks have been discriminated against by unions and trade schools with respect to construction careers. Thirty years ago, blacks were 0.6 percent of the electrical unions, 1.6 percent of carpentry, and 0.2 percent in the sheet metal trade. These closed doors, combined with the restrictive practices of banks and performance bond companies, effectively prevented black contractors from developing successful enterprises. Affirmative action was intended to remedy racial exclusion and foster inclusion through the concept of correction and expanded opportunity, or (CEO).
Yet when the media, one of the chief agents of deception, discusses affirmative action, they substitute the word "quota" despite the fact that everyone knows that quotas are illegal unless imposed by court order. Quotas close doors and set limits. While affirmative action opens doors by expanding opportunities. Nevertheless, the print media continues to, purposefully I think, misapply the term.
Another deceptive device is the provocative use of the phrase "racial preferences," which suggests that one group (blacks) are unreasonably "promoted" over a more qualified group (whites) Affirmative action is not about preference, but the correction of past discrimination, such as increasing the 0.4 percent black elevator tradesmen in 1967 to a number visible on the radar screen!
Sociologist Michael Dyson states that the ingenuity of the conservatives and the far right is that they have deceitfully co-opted the rhetoric of the progressive and civil rights movements against the very principles of freedom, equality, and justice that the language originally stood for. Pollster Lou Harris essentially agreed, stating that "it is not only misleading, but deceitful to use 'affirmative action' and 'preferential treatment' interchangeably "
But the ultimate trick came with Proposition 209, audaciously known as, "the California Civil Rights Initiative," which banned the use of race or sex as a criterion for "either discrimination against or granting preferential treatment to" anyone doing business with the state. Prop 209 spokesperson, Ward Connerly, is as duplicitous as the language -- having once served as a paid lobbyist for the construction and roofing industry -- the same group that provided a vocal rear guard in recent Supreme Court affirmative action cases.
When the Harris Poll surveyed Californians, 81 percent supported the referendum. But when asked if they would still support the measure if it would "outlaw all affirmative action programs for women and minorities"-- that support fizzled to 29 percent, and opposition climbed from 11 percent to 58 percent. Simply put when the voters understand these mean-spirited ideas, they reject them. The citizens of Houston did not buy this verbal sleight of hand either, and refused to accept a similar initiative, when worded properly, even though they’re Southerners, and like California, in a highly populated state.
Ignorance
What role does ignorance play in this equation? Most people do not understand the facts of black exclusion in construction.
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Book Details
About the Book
Reflections is a collection of my writings through the years in defense of and support for Affirmative Action in the construction industry. It documents a struggle for economic justice that began on July 23, 1969 when Chicago community groups assembled to demand equal participation in local federal construction projects.
As these programs became successful, resistance rose at a rapid clip. Who would have thought that our quest for economic justice would eventually reach the Supreme Court as a battle against “reverse discrimination?”
Who would have believed that the “affirmative action” programs that integrated an exclusive white workforce, and provided new opportunities for Black firms would be challenged so vigorously that the term would not even be used by the 2008 presidential candidates?
We share our experiences for others seeking change by providing examples of how Black businesses can address community problems, including educating elected officials and holding them accountable. It was though my membership in Parren Mitchell’s (Maryland’s first Black congressman-1971), Black Business Braintrust, that the first national legislation requiring mandatory Minority Business Enterprise [MBE] utilization was forged.
This book emphasizes four main areas of concern:
- Affirmative Action as a tool to break the pattern of exclusion by construction trade unions and apprenticeship programs.
- To demonstrate that local organizations with dedicated leaders can combat discrimination and create positive change that reverberates nationally.
- To expand the Black tradesmen workforce as a vehicle for increasing Black subcontractor numbers and developing substantial Black general contractors.
- The development of viable black construction firms: UBM, Inc., which I co-founded in 1974, was by 2004, the largest Black general contractor in the state of Illinois. My firm accomplished everything I sought to prove as a black business by creating the capacity to apply positive solutions to problems besieging our community.
About the Author
PAUL KING is a pioneer in the struggle to promote Black inclusion in the construction industry; and instrumental in securing government support for minority contractor assistance programs in Chicago and nationally. He is a much sought-after speaker, former chair of the Chicago Business Council, and the author of numerous articles and editorials, including amicus briefs in the Fullilove vs. Klutznick Supreme Court Case.
His numerous honors include induction into the National Association of Minority Contractors’ Hall of Fame; Minority Contractor of the Year (Arizona State University); Affirmative Action Leader of the Century (Coalition for United Community Action, 1999); and the United Builders Association of Chicago’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a member of the Black Business Braintrust for Congressman Parren Mitchell’s [Dem-MD], who secured passage of the first legislation requiring mandatory percentage goals for minority contractor utilization on federal contracts.
King was the chairman and principal founder of UBM, Inc., the largest African-American owned Construction Company in Illinois in 2003-2004, with over 100 employees, when it was cited by Black Enterprise Magazine as a leading Black construction firm nationally. UBM, the recipient of four American Institute of Architecture Awards, was a partner in the $1 billion dollar Terminal Six Project at O’Hare International Airport, the largest public works contract in Chicago history.
UBM was a model of corporate citizenship and strong supporter of educational programs that advanced economic and social justice. The firm developed two award-winning, nationally recognized programs for African American college and high-school interns and prisoner re-entry training and placement that resulted in "graduates" launching professional construction careers, including some being hired as UBM employees. The firm also funded Project PRIDE, which tutored African American construction apprenticeship program applicants. Chicago, as well as other municipalities, adopted this successful project.