A California lawmaker plans to introduce a bill to the state’s Assembly on Monday, Dec. 2, that would give admissions priority to descendants of slaves at the University of California and California State University, The Associated Press reported. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a Democrat representing communities in Los Angeles and Culver City, is also a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Bryan told the AP he intends to introduce the bill after new members are sworn in and gather for a special session aimed at protecting California’s progressive policies before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
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Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ended race-based admissions at colleges and universities when justices reversed affirmative action. However, legacy admissions remain acceptable, which critics argue favors alumni children and donors, making the admissions process even more biased against students of color.
Bryan told the AP, “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. We have a moral responsibility to do all we can to right those wrongs.”
The state of California created a Black Reparations Task Force to study the effects of slavery on the state and how it impacts Black Californians. To date, the task force has been unsuccessful in getting any reparations recommendations written into bills, passed or signed into law.
“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,” Bryan said.
In September, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed Black families to file claims for land lost through discriminatory eminent domain practices.
