California Bill Would Prioritize Descendants of Slaves in University Admissions

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.
“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.”
“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 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.