BAMN
| Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary | |
| Formation | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Founded at | California, United States |
| Website | www |
The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, commonly shortened to By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), is an American militant left-wing civil rights activist group that organizes demonstrations and litigation to achieve its aims.
BAMN was formed in 1995 to oppose the July 20, 1995 decision by Regents of the University of California to ban affirmative action. In 1997, BAMN expanded to Michigan, where it organized student support for the affirmative action policy of the University of Michigan Law School at Ann Arbor (UMLS) as a result of a challenge to that policy via Grutter v. Bollinger.
BAMN advocates "a national policy of affirmative action," the central theme of most major BAMN campaigns. BAMN's Principle #3 states,"BAMN is committed to making real America's founding declaration that 'all men are created equal.' Real equality of rights and opportunities for women and [minorities] requires active, positive measures, [as well as] a national policy of affirmative action."
BAMN promotes the protection and expansion of civil rights for all under-represented classes throughout the United States, and is especially focused on challenges to minority students via the defense of historic affirmative action standards.
BAMN became one of 44 parties in the Supreme Court's Grutter v. Bollinger case concerning Michigan Law School admissions; BAMN's chief strategist was one of a 'record number' who filed an amicus brief in the case.
The University of Michigan Law School case was heard at the same time as Gratz v. Bollinger, concerning racial admissions policies in the University of Michigan (U-M) undergraduate school. While the Law School system was allowed to proceed for the period of one generation, the undergraduate school's specific admissions policy was struck down.
Since 1995, BAMN has organized a variety of college campaigns promoting affirmative action and defeat of contrary legislation written to end racial admissions policies. BAMN's campaigns were not successful in the polls over three state initiatives curtailing strict racial quotas in three states: Michigan Prop. 2 'Civil Rights Initiative' (2006), California Prop. 209 (1996) and Washington State Washington Initiative 200 (1998). On April 1, 2003, BAMN spearheaded the organizing of the 50,000 person March on Washington to Defend Affirmative Action and Save Brown v. Board of Education (1954). A sign from this march was featured in the Smithsonian Museum's 2004 exhibit, "Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education," commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown decision.
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