Over 70 California community colleges participate in race-based scholarship program
The Umoja Community Education Foundation markets itself as open to all students, but prioritizes African American identity.
The program is present in over 70 statewide community colleges.
Recently surfaced information shows that more than half of California’s community colleges participate in a race-based scholarship program.
Campus Reform obtained a June 9 letter penned jointly by the Umoja Community Education Foundation and California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office that points participants of the program, called Umoja, to a new memorandum outlining its core requirements.
The memo’s three requirements are the “designation of a dedicated Umoja Village space,” ensuring “priority registration for Umoja students,” and a dedicated full-time coordinator at each college.
Despite being listed as open to “all students,” the foundation’s website explicitly states that it is “primarily dedicated to African American identity.”
The foundation describes itself as a “community and critical resource dedicated to enhancing the cultural and educational experiences of African American and other students.”
Additionally, an evaluation report sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year says the program “aims to enhance the cultural and educational experiences of African American, Black, and other students.”
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Some individual programs are more direct about the centrality of black racial identity to participation.
Fullerton College’s Umoja program requires students to “[i]dentify as Black/African, Black/African American or Black/African Diasporic (globally dispersed/worldwide) and/or interested in and willing to commit to learning from Black/African perspectives, experiences and diverse cultural lens.”
Meanwhile, San Diego City College’s program is “designed to assist African American and other historically underrepresented students who desire to transfer to four-year colleges and universities, and earn their degrees.”
According to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, the foundation has partnered with the state since 2008. Over 70 community colleges are affiliated with the Umoja program.
The new agreement between the state and the foundation, which will become official on July 1, runs through 2027. The total state funding allocation to the Umoja program this year is $9,178,000.
Financial incentives and scholarships are often tied to Umoja participation.
Umoja students at Bakersfield College are currently participating in a two-week study abroad trip to Egypt. The program, which will continue until June 29, costs approximately $8,000, according to the college’s website.
However, Umoja membership guarantees $5,000 in funding and makes students eligible for a further $3,000 scholarship.
Other scholarships connected to Umoja programs appear at Palo Verde College, MiraCosta College, Mission College, and Golden West College.
[RELATED: Survey highlights most parents oppose race-based scholarships]
As laid out in the memo, community college participants must provide a designated space for Umoja students. The document defines such a place as a “sacred, safe, and student-centered hub on campus, intentionally designed to serve Umoja students exclusively and is not a shared or multipurpose space.”
The memo also emphasizes the word “exclusively.”
Buildings dedicated to this purpose must have adequate technology, study areas, and “[c]ulturally relevant décor and symbolism that reflects the rich heritage and identity of Umoja students.”
The Trump administration has made eliminating race-based programming at colleges and universities a priority over the last several months.
On Jan. 21, President Trump signed an executive order targeting “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences. The Department of Education has advanced several follow-ups to the order since February.
Campus Reform contacted the Umoja Community Education Foundation, California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, and each community college mentioned in this article for comment but did not receive responses before publication.
Umoja-CA Community Colleges by Campus Reform
