Ward Connerly will be the guest speaker at the Thursday, January 11, 2007
dinner meeting of the Tri-Valley Republican Women
Federated beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Pleasanton Hotel
(formerly the Wyndham Garden Hotel) 5990 Stoneridge Mall Rd., Pleasanton.
New members and visitors are welcome.
Reservation deadline is January 8. Contact Marilyn (925) 485-9869.
Mr. Connerly, author of the autobiography, Creating Equal: My Fight
Against Race Preferences, is founder and chairman of the American Civil
Rights Institute, a national, not-for-profit organization aimed at educating
the public about the need to move beyond racial and gender preferences.
Mr. Connerly has gained national attention and respect as an outspoken
advocate of equal opportunity for all Americans, regardless of race, sex, or
ethnic background.
As a member of the University of California Board of Regents, Mr. Connerly
focused the attention of the nation on the University’s race-based system of
preferences in its admissions policy. On July 20, 1995 , following Mr.
Connerly’s lead, a majority of the Regents voted to end the University’s use
of race as a means for admissions. He was appointed to a 12-year term as UC
Regent in March 1993.
In 1995, Mr. Connerly accepted chairmanship of the California Civil Rights
Initiative (Proposition 209) campaign. He accepted this responsibility in
December 1995 when he decided the campaign was in jeopardy. Under his
leadership, the campaign successfully obtained more than 1 million
signatures and qualified for the November 1996 ballot. California voters
passed Proposition 209 by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin.
Mr. Connerly’s efforts have led to many honors and awards from supporters
around the nation, including the Patrick Henry Award (1995) from The Center
for the Study of Popular Culture and Individual Rights Foundation, the
National Columbia Award (1996) from the Washington Institute for Public
Policy Studies, the Lincoln Award for Leadership (1997) from the Independent
Women’s Forum, and the Courage in Leadership Award (1997) from Black
America’s Political Action Committee,
Mr. Connerly has been profiled on 60 Minutes and in the New York Times, Wall
Street Journal, Newsweek magazine, and virtually every major news magazine
in America . He has also appeared on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,
Crossfire, Firing Line, Hannity & Colmes, The Crier Report, Meet the Press,
Rivera Live, Dateline, Politically Incorrect, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and
C-SPAN.
Mr. Connerly is President and Chief Executive Officer of Connerly &
Associates, Inc., a Sacramento-based association management and land
development consulting firm founded in 1973 by him and his wife, Ilene. He
is regarded as one of the housing industry’s top experts, possessing a
comprehensive knowledge of housing and development issues. He has been
inducted as a lifetime member into the California Building Industry Hall of
Fame. Mr. Connerly currently is a member of the Rotary Club of Sacramento.
The Tri-Valley Republican Women Federated meets monthly except during July
and August. Tri-Valley Republican Women Federated is affiliated with the
California Federation of Republican Women (CFRW), Northern Division, and
National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW). The NFRW is one of the
largest women's political organizations in the country with a grassroots
membership of 100,000 women and 1,800 local units nationwide. The
organizations advocate for important issues that positively impact our
nation, strengthen our Republican Party through recruiting and training
candidates, and empower women of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds in
the political process.
