Proposed California legislation taps state university system for reparations eligibility
CSU may be tasked with verifying student reparations claims, per new legislation.
If passed, the measure would enlist colleges to determine students' eligibility for reparations.
The California State University (CSU) system could soon be required to verify whether students descend from enslaved Americans under a bill advancing in the state legislature.
Senate Bill 437, authored by State Sen. Akilah Weber, directs CSU to establish a formal process for verifying genealogical eligibility for reparations. The bill passed the Senate and was slated for a June 24 hearing in the Assembly.
While the bill does not mandate that CSU directly implement reparations screening, Weber’s office told Campus Reform that the university system would help develop methods the state could use to verify lineage.
“None of our bills address race; they are all based on lineage and harms,” Weber’s spokesperson added. “The CSU supports SB 437.”
CSU has not published an official statement on the matter.
S.B. 437 is part of a broader package of reparations-related legislation. S.B. 518, which was introduced on Feb. 19 by State Sen. Weber Pierson, proposes the establishment of a new state Bureau of Descendants of American Slavery.
The agency would coordinate reparative efforts across multiple state institutions, including universities and colleges.
California is not alone in its efforts to provide higher education reparations. In 2022, Harvard University pledged $100 million to a “Legacy of Slavery Fund.”
During a speech discussing the race-based fund, Howard University Knight Chair of Race and Journalism Nikole Hannah-Jones argued that $100 million was still too insufficient.
“A true investment would be hundreds of millions more,” Hannah-Jones told The New York Times Magazine.
Campus Reform reached out to Chancellor Mildred Garcia and the California Reparations Task Force for comment but did not receive a response by publication. This article will be updated accordingly.
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