Bell Says Minorities Need Proportional Vote

Minority groups should be represented in legislatures in proportion to their numbers in the population, said Law School Professor Derrick Bell yesterday in a speech in Pound Hall.

Bell, a civil rights specialist, said proportional representation based on race would make legislators more accountable to their constituencies. Under the current system of geographical representation, the will of the majority detracts from the needs of the minority, Bell said.

"Both the 14th and 15th amendment standards [which guarantee Black rights] in voting are more than procedure and process," Bell told the Law School audience of 30.

"But to insure their substantive content is more than a sham, the court will have to move in the direction of proportional representation," Bell said.

According to Bell, opponents of proportional representation argue that it would increase racial divisiveness and emphasize irrelevant differences between candidates.

But "the progress under the existing system is too slow, too symbolic rather than substantive, too subject to dilution, tokenization, and always under attack," Bell said.

Bell acknowledges that his ideas are not widely held by either whites or Blacks. Proportional representation is "anathema to many conservatives, but it's also opposed by liberals," he said.

Nevertheless, proportional representation by race must be considered by both in order to move America toward social justice, Bell said.

"It doesn't solve all the problems, but it moves us a giant step beyond the present situation," Bell concluded.

Throughout his speech Bell used scenes from his new book, "And We Are Not Saved," to illustrate his points.