California Lawmakers Pass Bill Giving Slave Descendants an Edge in University Admissions

The bill’s author said it focuses on lineage rather than race. Critics say it bases preferential treatment on immutable traits.

The California Capitol in Sacramento on March 16, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

California lawmakers sent a bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk on Sept. 12 that would allow colleges and universities to give preferential treatment in admissions to students who are descendants of slaves.

Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Culver City, authored AB 7 to give California’s institutions of higher education a way to address “educational inequities tied directly to slavery and its lasting effect.”