"We include anybody who wants the help," she said, adding that the group is currently waiting until the initiative comes on the ballot before they draw up specific policy and issue statements.
Other CCRI advocates could not be reached for comment.
Opponents to CCRI are currently directing their organizing efforts toward a National Organization of Women-sponsored mass rally and march this spring in San Francisco. With more than 250,000 expected to attend, planners hope the event will not only send a message to CCRI proponents, but also highlight the role of affirmative action in benefiting women.
"If you cast the issue solely in terms of race, then we have played into the Republican strategy," said Bazian. "We are now launching an old-fashioned campaign. We want to out-organize the conservatives and turn the debate into a race-gender one."
"My sense is that there has been a change in race dynamics in this country with the entrance of racist norms that were unacceptable only a few years ago," said Bazian. "For us to change the dynamics, we have to increase the voter turnout among people of color by 5 percent."
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