Source: Michael Tullberg / Getty
With diversity and inclusion initiatives facing increasing challenges with a second Donald Trump presidency pending, one California lawmaker is acting swiftly to ensure Black students have equal access to education at the University of California and California State University systems.
California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan is set to introduce legislation aimed at giving descendants of enslaved people priority in the admissions process for both the University of California and California State University, the Associated Press reported.
The proposed bill, created by Bryan, a Democrat representing Los Angeles, seeks to address long-standing racial inequalities and advance restorative justice for African Americans in California.
Following the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against affirmative action, conservatives have intensified efforts to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, including those on college campuses. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan argues that this is unfair, particularly given that legacy admissions continue to benefit predominantly white families.
Critics contend that by banning affirmative action while allowing legacy preferences—admissions advantages for children of alumni and donors—the Court has only deepened the inequities in the admissions process, making it even harder for Black students to gain entry to top universities.
“For decades, universities gave preferential admission treatment to donors and their family members, while others tied to legacies of harm were ignored and at times outright excluded,” Bryan told the Associated Press. “We have a moral responsibility to do all we can to right those wrongs.”
The lawmaker said he was optimistic that his proposal would gain approval, as it was crafted with input from members of California’s Black Reparations Task Force—the same committee that recommended compensating the descendants of Black enslaved people living within the state in 2023.
“There is a growing understanding of California’s role in perpetuating the inequalities that arose from slavery, and there’s a willingness to try to rectify that harm, to heal that harm,” the Democrat added.
Black students are significantly underrepresented at both the University of California and California State University systems.
According to the Associated Press, in 2023, Black students comprised approximately 4% of the California State University student body and about 4.7% at the University of California in 2023, based on the latest reports from the university systems.
Notably, the University of California highlighted its continued progress in diversifying its student body, announcing in July that for the sixth consecutive year, its fall 2024 incoming class achieved a historic milestone. The proportion of first-year students from underrepresented groups rose to 45.4%, a 1.2 percentage point increase (or 2,772 students) from 44.2% in fall 2023.
The percentage of African American students offered admission increased from 5.6% to 5.9%, reflecting a nearly 10% rise with 500 more offers than the previous year. Admissions for American Indian students remained steady at 0.6% of total admits, with 569 students offered a place. The report also noted slight decreases in the proportion of admission offers to white and Asian American students, each dropping by 0.8 percentage points.
Latino students continued to make up a significant portion of first-year students, with the UC system remaining a top choice for them. They represented 38.6% of first-year students, an increase from 37.7% the previous year.
SEE ALSO:
Slavery Is Still Legal In California After Voters Don’t Support Ending Forced Labor In Prisons
