Powell hasn’t spoken out often on racial issues, or on much else outside the military chain of command. But as he edges toward a civilian role–and a national tour to promote his autobiography-he’s dropping hints. It turns out that if Powell is a Republican, he is a rare one: a supporter of affirmative action. He accepts its predicate that racism still corrodes America. And unlike possible COP presidential rivals, from Bob Dole to Pete Wilson, Powell believes government has a role, however limited, in giving minorities special consideration.
Powell’s preachments tend to be color-blind paeans to hard work, discipline and family. But in a speech at Salem State College in Massachusetts this spring, he was asked if racism had hurt his career. Just the opposite, he said. “I never felt hurt by it,” the student newspaper, The Log, quoted him as saying. “And I must admit that I was helped by affirmative action in the service.”
That isn’t surprising. Since Harry Truman’s order to integrate the services in 1948, the army has been considered the branch most hospitable to blacks. The army’s definition of affirmative action, says longtime Powell aide Bill Smullen, is to provide “extraordinary opportunities for advancement” to qualified minorities, making race one of many factors in promotion.
That’s what happened in Powell’s case, according to Clifford Alexander, an African-American lawyer who was Jimmy Carter’s secretary of the army. When Alexander arrived at the Pentagon in 1977, he insisted on widening the search for blacks eligible for elevation to general. Powell was among those added to the list, Alexander has said. Powell got his star in 1979.
In his book, Powell will deal with racial issues in his own life. In the ’60s, his family was stationed in segregated Alabama. “I can remember very well being denied access to a lunch counter,” he said at Salem State. “This isn’t ancient . . . Let’s recognize that there are still racial problems in our country.”
Although Powell benefited from affirmative action, his public views on it are carefully calibrated to avoid giving offense. He opposes quotas and “reverse discrimination.” At Salem State he suggested that help be provided only to those minorities too poor or powerless to get ahead otherwise. “I don’t believe ,” he said, “that anyone with money or connections should be helped by affirmative action.”
If he seeks the presidency, Powell would be the first broadly popular black candidate for national office. Would he make racial justice an overt theme? Friends doubt it. “Colin is a very practical guy,” says Robert L. Johnson, president of Black Entertainment Television. “He wouldn’t run on affirmative action, and wouldn’t have to. The symbolism of his presence would be enough.” But if he does run, Powell will have to address the issue in detail–and America will be listening carefully.
