California bill would give public university admission priority to slaves’ descendants

SACRAMENTO, California — A California lawmaker said he will introduce a bill Monday that would prioritize admission of descendants of slaves to the University of California and California State University, the state’s two major public university systems.

Assembly Member Isaac Bryan, a Democrat who represents parts of Los Angeles, told The Associated Press that he will introduce the bill as lawmakers meet at the Capitol to swear in new members for a new term. They will also meet a special session to consider ways to protect the state’s progressive policies ahead of a new Trump administration.

The incoming administration of newly elected President Donald Trump is expected to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Across the US, there is a conservative movement to limit DEI initiatives gain momentum in state capitals and university boards of governors, with officials in many states taking action against them.

The movement gained momentum last year after the Supreme Court’s decision put an end to affirmative action at universities, creating a new legal landscape around diversity programs in the US workplace And civil society.

But the rise of DEI as a political rallying cry also has roots on campus, with Republican opponents saying the programs are discriminatory and promote left-wing ideology. Trump has hinted at possible legislation to fine universities for diversity initiatives.

At the same time, there is legacy admissions, long seen as an advantage for whites and the wealthy at selective colleges come under fire in recent years following the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action. By banning affirmative action but allowing legacy preferences that favor the children of alumni and donors, critics say the court has left admissions even more skewed against students of color.

“For decades, universities have given preferential treatment to donors and their family members, while others linked to legacies of harm have been ignored and sometimes outright excluded,” Bryan told the AP. “We have a moral responsibility to do everything we can to right these wrongs.”

Bryan said he is hopeful of passage of the measure, which is in line with recommendations from members of California’s Black Reparations Task Force.

“There is a growing understanding of California’s role in perpetuating the inequalities that stem from slavery, and there is a willingness to try to undo that damage, to heal that damage,” he said.

Black students made up about 4% of the student population at California State University and about 4.7% at the University of California in 2023, according to the latest reports from the university systems.

The proposal follows state-level reparations that have produced mixed results. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law in September formally apologize for the legacy of racism and discrimination against black residents of the state.

But state lawmakers an account blocked which would have created an agency to administer recovery programs, and Newsom vetoed a proposal that would have helped black families reclaim property wrongly seized by the government through eminent domain.

Earlier this month, that included voters in California a ballot measure rejected that would have amended the state constitution to ban forced prison labor, defeating another proposal from Bryan and other members of the California Legislative Black Caucus.

The purpose of the measure is to correct past and current discrimination at universities, Bryan said.

“When people think of reparations, they only think of cash payments. But repairing the harm and inequality that came from slavery and the policies that followed is a much bigger process,” he said.

Bryan said he also proposed the measure, which will have to go through a months-long approval process, partly in response to Trump’s recent statements about paying “reparations” to white students, who he said have been affected by diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

States including Kansas and Iowa have passed laws banning DEI offices and initiatives in higher education, and Republican lawmakers in about two dozen states has introduced at least 50 bills to restrict DEI programs last year.

Trump’s new deputy policy chief will be his former adviser Stephan Molenaarwho leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged companies’ DEI policies.

Trump, who has vowed to rid America’s schools of alleged “ awake”, also has plans cuts to schools who are challenging him on a host of issues on his first day as president, though even some of his supporters say he does not have the authority to make such quick and sweeping changes.

Trump has poured scorn on the federal Ministry of Education, describing it as infiltrated by “radicals, fanatics and Marxists.” He has chosen Linda McMahona former struggling executive branchto lead the department.

But like many conservative politicians before him, Trump has also called for the complete dismantling of the department, a daunting task that would likely require action from Congress.

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Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.