By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media
OPINION – President Donald Trump’s latest executive order requires colleges receiving federal aid to submit detailed admissions data — including race, GPA, test scores, and acceptance rates — to prove they aren’t using race, directly or indirectly, in admissions decisions. Noncompliance may trigger federal enforcement actions, including corrective plans, loss of federal student aid eligibility, and possible referral to the Department of Justice.
The White House claims that this order supports fairness and transparency, but critics warn it’s a veiled attack on racial diversity in higher education. Yale Law professor Justin Driver called the new approach “catastrophic” and said it would likely be used to intimidate universities into lowering Black and Latino enrollment.
Trump’s order follows the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision ending race-conscious admissions but allowing students to write about how race affected their lives. The administration is now targeting perceived “racial proxies,” including personal essays, diversity statements, and ZIP-code or first-gen indicators, tools that many colleges legally use in building a diverse student body and ensuring that underrepresented voices are part of campus life.
What This Means for Black Students in California
In 1996, California banned affirmative action with Proposition 209. The result was immediate. In the first year at UCLA, Black student admissions fell by 36%, and Latino admissions by 21%, despite no significant drop in applicants.
Today, the long-term effects remain visible. According to UC system data, Black undergraduates made up just 4.7% of all students in fall 2024 — well below California’s Black population share of 5.6%.
Despite these constraints, UC enrolled its most diverse freshman class ever for fall 2024: African American enrollment increased 4.6% systemwide, Latino enrollment rose 3.1%, and American Indian enrollment was up about 12.9%.
