By Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media
Two days after Assembly Bill (AB) 7 passed out of the State Senate with a 30-10 vote, about 150 people from across the state converged on the State Capitol, urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the measure into law by October 12.
Gov. Newsom has until October 12 to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature this legislative session. Any measure not vetoed by that date will automatically become law.
Authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), the bill would allow (but not require) public and private colleges in California to offer preferential admissions to applicants who are direct descendants of enslaved people, to the extent permitted by federal law.
Following Senate concurrence, the bill was sent to the governor’s desk on September 12.
A diverse group representing Black Lives Matter Grassroots, Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative, the Social Justice Learning Institute, Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, University of California Student Association (UCSA), California Faculty Association, and California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) attended the rally.
The support the bill has received through the legislative process has been “enormous,” Bryan said, pointing out that supporters who participated in the rally at the State Capitol were college-aged students who have shown the most engagement.
Malia Fraser is the Black Student Success Officer for the UCSA and chairperson of the African Student Union at UCLA. At the rally held in front of the State Capitol, Fraser said Black students make up about 4% of the UC and California State University system’s student population.
“Today we are fighting for a future where institutions finally reckon with their past and take steps toward repair,” Fraser said.
Opponents of California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 7 have argued that the bill violates Proposition 209 and that providing admissions preferences to descendants of enslaved people is unconstitutional.
However, CABL defends the legality of AB 7, pointing to the bill’s lineage focus rather than race. CABL President Tamara Michael said the approach is intended to stand up to legal challenges, particularly in light of federal rulings against race-based affirmative action.
“Let me be clear, (AB 7) isn’t about special treatment. It’s about restorative justice, creating a legal framework that allows our universities to acknowledge and repair historical wrongs,” Michael said. “AB 7 is a mechanism for justice. Not a handout.
AB 7 is a key priority for the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and part of its “Road to Repair 2025” package — a 16-bill initiative designed to confront the lasting effects of slavery and systemic racism in the state.
The bill intends to single out a “legacy of exclusion” in education, Bryan said. The supporters of the AB 7 took their message to Newsom’s office at the State Capitol Swing Space Annex.
“Seeing 150 people go over to the governor’s office is powerful,” Bryan told CBM. “There have been people involved all year, all across the state, and across the country. There is no reason why (Newsom) shouldn’t sign it. I’m hopeful.”
