Who is Protect Arizona’s Freedom?

The PAF Coalition is a group of Arizona business, community, faith, and education leaders concerned about California Businessman Ward Connerly’s initiative and its negative impact on our state.

What is Ward Connerly’s Initiative?

• Proposition 107, the so-called “Arizona Civil Rights Initiative,” Is Ward Connerly’s latest attempt to eliminate equal opportunity programs in our state. Proposition 107 would change Arizona’s Constitution to prohibit the state (and local governments, schools and universities) from offering any type of equal opportunity programs to underrepresented communities, including women, men, and people of color in Arizona in the areas of public employment, higher education, and contracting.

Who is Ward Connerly?

• Ward Connerly is a former Board of Regent in California. He has earned millions of dollars by working to eliminate equal opportunity programs around the country. Connerly got his start in business in California years ago through a program designed to help women and minority businesses – the very type of program he is trying to destroy in Arizona.

What Would Happen if Proposition 107 Becomes Law?

If Proposition 107 were to become law, programs that help women and communities of color could be prohibited.  Here are several examples of programs that could be eliminated:

• City of Phoenix Teen Parents Program. This program helps teen mothers learn life skills so they can get off welfare and provide for their children.
• Arizona State University Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program. This program seeks to improve the climate for women in the Fulton School at ASU. Currently, WISE offers many programs to encourage women to pursue academic majors and careers in engineering.
• YWCA Bright Futures Program. Bright Futures is a leadership development, recognition and scholarship program for young women in Pima County. Bright Futures participants are either high school seniors who have demonstrated determination in overcoming an obstacle or Pima Community College students.
• The Summer Bridge Program which helps Native American students prepare for the academic challenges they face in college in science, math, engineering and technology.
• The Native American Achievement Program designed to increase the graduation rates of Native American students and the Upward Bound Program which helps Native Americans.

Why Should You Oppose This Initiative?

• Proposition 107 will hurt our state’s ability to educate and produce a diverse, talented workforce.
• We’re in a global economy in which businesses know that diversity and a work force that looks like the world in which they interact is a good business tool.  We have to increase diversity in the science, technology and engineering pipeline to meet this demand.
• Diversity and inclusion are good for business.  The buying power of people of color and women is increasing significantly.
• If Proposition 107 is passed Arizona will return to a “good old boys” network, where people are not offered jobs, contracts and educational positions based on their knowledge and expertise, but instead get those positions because of who they know.
• This initiative seeks to divide our state. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to compete and to succeed in Arizona.  We all benefit because we’re all in this together. Helping to strengthen communities helps us all, because a strong Arizona is built on strong communities.