By Taylor Johnson | OBSERVER Staff Writer
From 2010 to 2020, Black enrollment at U.S. institutions of higher learning dropped about 22%.
To help address these concerns in California, Assemblymember Mike Gipson has introduced Assembly Bill 335, which proposes creating a competitive grant program to fund resource and support services for underserved students at CSUs and community colleges that serve large percentages of Black students.
The CSU Statewide Central Office for the Advancement of Black Student Success would administer the program, called the Designation of California Black-Serving Institutions Grant Program, and distribute $75 million in grants, with $25 million to CSU campuses and $50 million to community college districts.
The grant for designated institutions can apply for base grants of $250,000, with the possibility of receiving additional supplemental funding of up to $500,000. A local funding match is required, and recipients must report annually on how funds are spent.
“Black students struggle to complete their bachelor’s degree due to systemic barriers, such as a lack of financial stability and academic support throughout their college experience,” Gipson said. “It is imperative that Black-serving institutions are equipped with the fiscal means to support students that lack academic support and who are struggling with financial insecurity and basic needs.”
According to a 2023 survey administered by the California Student Aid Commission, 78% of Black college students in California were food insecure, and 65% were housing insecure. Those rates were the highest among demographics surveyed.
Robert “BJ” Snowden, Sacramento State’s executive director of the CSU Black Student Success Center, said Black student success requires a comprehensive, equity-driven approach that includes empowering student voices, using data to achieve accountability, continuing community engagement, creating culture-affirming environments, and mentorship.
“As the primary administrative body for advancing Black student success across all 23 CSU campuses, [the center] provides culturally responsive services, identifies and amplifies promising practices, and invests in the educational growth of Black students,” Snowden said.
The organization also oversees implementation of policies such as Senate Bill 1348, which enables campuses to be designated as Black-serving institutions, further institutionalizing support for Black students.
The CSU’s establishment of and its initial $10 million investment in the Black Student Success Center, Snowden said, “demonstrates a deep, unified commitment to closing equity gaps, elevating Black excellence, and positioning the CSU as a national leader in Black student success.”
The bill has been stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee by fiscal constraints since June, but Gipson said negotiations are ongoing.
Gipson said California, with the world’s fourth largest economy, has the means and level of support to make the investments he calls for in this new bill.
“We have heard from a wide range of stakeholders, particularly from Black Californians, that a dedicated grant program for entities with a track record of providing superior opportunities to Black students improves the educational system as a whole,” he said.
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who chairs the education committee, coauthored the bill. Compton College President Dr. Keith Curry and Dr. Edward Bush of Cosumnes River College have publicly sponsored it.
“Equity is under attack in education systems across America, led by the Trump administration,” Gipson said. “Schools have a responsibility to explicitly commit to the advancement of Black students, and to fully fund opportunities to close gaps between students of different backgrounds.”