California Bill Would Prioritize Descendants Of Slaves In University Admissions

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A California lawmaker introduced a bill on Monday that would give the descendants of slaves priority admissions into the University of California and California State University schools, the state’s two public university systems.

The bill would change a precedent set nearly 30 years ago. Since 1996, California’s Proposition 209 has prohibited public schools, including the University of California and California State University, to use race as a factor in the admissions process.

California has long employed race-blind admissions efforts, which consider socio-economic status and location to identify disadvantaged students from immigrant or ethnic backgrounds.

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a Democrat representing parts of Los Angeles, told The Associated Press he would introduce the bill on Monday as lawmakers met on Capitol Hill with new members bing sworn in for the incipient legislative session.

“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 said. “We have a moral responsibility to do all we can to right those wrongs.”

Bryan noted that the measure aligns with recommendations put forth by members of California’s Reparations Task Force, a non-regulatory state agency established by the California assembly to study and develop reparations proposals. The California Reparation Task Force issued a thousand-page report in June 2023 detailing a far-reaching plan encompassing reforms at every level of government and even cash payments.

“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,” Bryan said. He said that the new admissions-focused measure is aimed at correcting past and present-day discrimination at universities.

“When folks think about reparations, they think about just cash payments. But repairing the harm and the inequality that came from slavery and the policies thereafter is a much bigger process,” he said.

Bryan’s proposal is, in part, being seen as a response to President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at educational institutions, which he outlined in 2023 as part of his Agenda47.

Trump has also pledged to get rid of the Department of Education. In addition, Republican Mike Rounds, a senator from South Dakota, introduced last week the Returning Education to Our States Act, a bill to abolish the Department of Education.

California Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond said in early November that California would pick up slack were Trump to move forward with federal education cuts.

Black students comprised approximately 4 percent of the California State University’s student population and 5 percent at the University of California in 2023, the university systems report.

Black students have the lowest graduation rate of any demographic in California higher education. The Cal State system, in particular, has historically struggled to graduate black students, who had an approximately 50 percent chance of graduating from a CSU school as late as 2022.

Reparation Bids

Bryan’s proposal to give descendants of slaves priority admission into public universities is the latest in a series of reparations attempts at California’s state level.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in September several reparations-minded bills and addressed a series of issues around which some black Californians have organized. The governor also signed a formal apology for California’s past role in the perpetuation of slavery and its enduring effects.

Among the bills he signed, Newsom addressed a range of issues pertaining to black communities. For instance, SB 1348, introduced by state Senator Steven Bradford, established the designation of “California Black-Serving Institutions,” with the goal of formally recognizing higher education campuses that excel at allocating resources to black students. Bradford’s district includes parts of Los Angeles County.

Newsom did veto, however, a proposal that would have allowed black families to reclaim property seized unjustly by the government via eminent domain. The governor cited the fact that the bill tasked a non-existent state agency with carrying out its provisions and requirements as the reason for the rejection. Like the promised admissions bill, that bill was put forth by Bryan.

Bryan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.