Dec. 24 — On Dec. 12, President Bush elevated the likelihood that Trent Lott would get dumped as Senate majority leader from “possible” to “certain.” He did so by saying, “recent comments by Senator Lott do not reflect the spirit of our country. He has apologized, and rightly so. Every day our nation was segregated was a day that America was unfaithful to our founding ideals.” Bush’s remarks, which eventually led to Lott’s resignation, were meant to convey that he would give no quarter to discrimination. Ironically, though, the Lott-bashing came in the middle of a speech announcing an executive order easing up on a federal anti-discrimination policy that’s been in effect in one form or another for 60 years.
THE ORIGINAL POLICY was the handiwork of A. Philip Randolph. In 1941, Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, threatened a march on Washington to protest discrimination against blacks in the armed forces and the defense industry. To avert the march, President Roosevelt agreed to sign an executive order banning workplace discrimination in the defense industry based on “race, creed, color, or national origin.” Roosevelt subsequently broadened the ban to include all federal contractors, and the policy was further expanded by Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. Here is the policy’s final iteration, in a 1965 executive order issued by President Johnson:
The [federal] contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, or national origin. The contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.
