ANN ARBOR—Paul Igasaki, vice-chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will speak on the topic of “State Ballot Initiatives and the Elimination of Affirmative Action” Friday (April 23) at 3 p.m. in the Kuenzel Room, Michigan Union, at the University of Michigan. The event is sponsored by the U-M’s Dialogues on Diversity and is free and open to the public.

Igasaki was initially nominated by President Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1994. From “Paul Igasaki’s presentation could hardly be more timely,” says U-M’s Terry Sandolow, professor of law. “Michigan is already the venue of a lawsuit that is likely to produce a leading decision on the constitutionality of minority preferences. It may soon also become the site of a major contest to determine the level of public support for such policies,” Sandalow said.

Igasaki was the architect of the EEOC’s strategy for handling charges more efficiently and to zero in on cases that will have the greatest impact on job discrimination. His team’s recommendations led to an overhaul of the EEOC’s case processing and the creation of a National Enforcement Plan. “Our new strategic approach has resulted in a reduction in charge inventory of over 50 percent and the prosecution of egregious cases of discrimination, such as our lawsuit against Mitsubishi Motors of America,” Igasaki said.

As acting chair, Igasaki sought support for and saw the approval of the Administration’s historic FY 1999 budget increase for the under funded agency.

Prior to his appointment to the EEOC, Igasaki was executive director of the Asian Law Caucus, a San Francisco-based civil rights organization. He also served as Washington, D.C., representative of the Japanese American Citizens League, a national civil rights organization, working on such issues as the Civil Rights Act, immigration reforms, and funding for the Japanese American redress program. As community liaison with the City of Chicago’s Human Relations Commission, Igasaki provided management and legal counsel to the city’s civil rights agency and served as Mayor Harold Washington’s liaison to Asian American communities.

An attorney in California and Illinois, Igasaki received his J.D. degree from the University California, Davis, and his B.A. from Northwestern University.

Japanese American Citizens League