Source: Daily Breeze/Southern California News Group
Some California colleges and universities will soon show their commitment to the success of African American students in higher education.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB 1348, which establishes the the nation’s first designation of Black-Serving Institutions, or colleges and universities that will provide extra support for Black students, who historically have had disproportionate access to educational resources.
The bill, authored by Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, will become law on Jan. 1.
The designation, similar to the existing federal recognitions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, is meant to expand educational opportunities and improve academic outcomes for Black students.
Hispanic-Serving Institutions were first nationally recognized in 1992, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions in 2007.
Bradford in a Monday interview said that SB 1348 fills an important void by recognizing the commitment of California colleges and universities that are making significant investments in ending historic disparities that exist for Black students.
“African Americans graduate at a lower rate and enroll at a lower rate,” Bradford said. “Many times, it has to do with the environment on college campuses.”
With support systems already in place for Hispanic, Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islanders, Bradford said that the establishment of Black-Serving Institutions is long overdue to close the historic racial disparity in Black families being able to choose schools that are committed to promoting the success of Black students.
“I hope it helps with enrollment, but more importantly, not only getting in the door, but out the door with a degree,” Bradford said. “African Americans are less likely to enter college right out of high school; I hope it gives a bigger incentive and wraparound services to help encourage students to take a full time load.”
If Black-Serving Institutions had existed when Bradford attended college, he said, it would’ve made his decision of where to go much easier, knowing there’s an environment that’s welcoming, supportive and truly committed to helping him navigate and succeed in higher education as a Black, college freshman.
Bradford also hopes that the bill will create more access to college advisors and other supportive resources to help students understand and apply for loans and eliminate student debt.
The goal behind to-be-designated schools also come on the backs of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the U.S., he added, which were founded in the 20th century to let African American families know their students would be accepted and welcomed there when they weren’t allowed to enroll elsewhere.
To qualify as a Black-Serving Institution, a college or university must have a Black student population of at least 10%, or 1,500 students. The institution must also have a Black student success program, demonstrate the resources that will be used to ensure the implementation of its student success plan, certify a commitment to address Black and African American student success and submit key performance indicators of Black student success that the school will achieve during the designation period.
Schools will have to apply for the designations, and the California State University Statewide Central Office for Advancement of Black Excellence, created earlier this year, will administer the recognitions.
In collaboration with that office, a board made of representatives from the California Senate and Assembly, University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, and the California Legislative Black Caucus will decide which schools to award the title.
“Being a Black-Serving Institution means more than attaining a certain percentage of Black students,” Thomas A. Parham, President of Cal State Dominguez Hills said in a press release. “It means being aspirational, intentional, and committed to the cultivation of the goals, dreams, and greatness of our students of African descent (by) creating cultural comfort zones, elevating their sense of belonging, affirming their humanity, recruitment of Black students, faculty, and staff, culturally specific activities, and the celebration of cultural heritage in ways that facilitate students’ retention, graduation, and success.”
Gov. Newsom along with SB 1348 signed a handful of other bills meant to address the impacts of African American enslavement and continued racial discrimination.
Some of those include AB 3089, under which a plaque will be put in the State Capitol with a formal apology for chattel slavery; AB 2319, which will increase protections for expectant mothers during pregnancy and childbirth; and SB 1089, which will combat food and medical deserts by requiring grocery stores and pharmacies to give advanced notice of closures.
“As we confront the lasting legacy of slavery, I’m profoundly grateful for the efforts put forward,” Newsom said in a press release. “The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities. Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past – and making amends for the harms caused.”
