California Lawmaker Proposes Priority Admissions for Descendants of Enslaved People
Amid growing challenges to diversity and inclusion efforts, a California legislator is taking decisive action to ensure equitable educational access for Black students. With a potential second term for Donald Trump and the Supreme Court’s decision against affirmative action, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan seeks to prioritize the descendants of enslaved people in admissions to the University of California and California State University.
Democrat Isaac Bryan, representing Los Angeles, is preparing to introduce a bill that aims to address racial disparities and promote restorative justice for African Americans within the state. This legislative effort comes as conservatives have escalated attempts to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives on campuses, a move Bryan views as unjust, especially since legacy admissions continue to benefit mostly white families.
Critics argue that the Supreme Court’s ruling, which prohibits affirmative action while still allowing legacy preferences, has exacerbated inequalities in college admissions, making it more difficult for Black students to gain entry to prestigious universities. Bryan expressed, “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.”
The proposal has been crafted with input from California’s Black Reparations Task Force, the same group that recommended compensating descendants of Black enslaved people in 2023. Bryan is hopeful for the bill’s approval, noting, “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.”
Underrepresentation of Black Students in California Universities
Black students are notably underrepresented in both the University of California and California State University systems. According to the Associated Press, they made up about 4% of students at California State University and 4.7% at the University of California in 2023.
Despite this, the University of California has reported progress in diversifying its student body. As of July, the fall 2024 incoming class set a record for diversity, with 45.4% of first-year students coming from underrepresented groups. This marks a 1.2 percentage point increase from the previous year. The proportion of African American students admitted rose from 5.6% to 5.9%, while admissions for American Indian students remained at 0.6%.
Meanwhile, the percentage of white and Asian American students admitted each decreased by 0.8 percentage points. Latino students continue to represent a substantial portion of first-year students, comprising 38.6%, up from 37.7% the prior year.
SEE ALSO:
Slavery Is Still Legal In California After Voters Don’t Support Ending Forced Labor In Prisons
NYC Reparations Efforts Move Forward As California Stalls
