Michael Weiner Weiner is a fourth-year
history and political science student. His column analyzing issues
of interest to the UCLA community runs on Mondays. E-mail him at
[email protected].
For the first time ever, California is a majority-minority
state. According to statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau
Thursday, whites now make up less than 50 percent of the
state’s residents.
The numbers are not surprising, and they highlight a fact that
population experts have understood for years: California is a
multicultural state in an increasingly multicultural society. Our
state’s ability to deal with this new demographic reality
will tell us a lot about the entire country’s capacity to
ensure social justice and domestic peace in a future when diversity
will be the norm.
Of course, one of the most pivotal areas for the extension of
equality of opportunity is education, the level of which is still
the single best indicator of social class in the United States. And
appropriately, the release of the census statistics coincides with
the release of next year’s UC admissions numbers, which will
be announced by university officials Tuesday.
If recent history is any predictor ““ and I’m willing
to bet that it is ““ admissions statistics for
underrepresented minorities at the top UC campuses will continue to
lag far behind those of 1997, when affirmative action was still in
use. Even worse, those statistics will not even approach
consistency with the state census numbers released last week.
This problem is readily apparent when we compare the census
statistics with last year’s UCLA admissions numbers, which,
in all likelihood, will be nearly identical to this year’s.
According to the Census Bureau, California is now 47 percent white,
33 percent Latino, 11 percent Asian American and 7 percent African
American.
But last year, Latinos made up only 11 percent of those admitted
to UCLA and African Americans made up only 3 percent. Such
inconsistencies are also present at UC Berkeley and UCSD.
This demographic disconnect is a fundamental problem for the
University of California that cannot be underestimated, especially
as minority groups continue to make up a larger and larger
proportion of the state’s population. As a public university,
the UC has a responsibility to be equally accessible to all of
California’s citizens.
Even when affirmative action was in use, UC admissions numbers
still lagged behind their demographic counterparts, mostly due to
California’s grossly unequal K-12 education system. But
university officials could not be blamed for the discrepancies
because they were actively pursuing policies aimed at increasing
diversity on the UC campuses.
For the last five years, however, the university moved in the
opposite direction, starting with the UC Board of Regents’
passage of SP-1, which banned the use of affirmative action in
admissions. After that, UC President Richard Atkinson and his
underlings promoted wishy-washy policies, such as increased
outreach funding and the 4 percent plan, which were aimed more at
generating good P.R. than they were at actually increasing minority
student representation.
But now, perhaps subtly influenced by the demographic changes
illustrated in the census, university officials appear to be taking
a cautious, yet determined, U-turn. In February, Atkinson proposed
eliminating the SAT I as a requirement in undergraduate admissions
““ a radical step for a man who previously did not seem to
have the fortitude to stand up to the right-wing bullies on his
Board of Regents.
That board, whose political persuasion has moved slightly to the
left since Democratic Gov. Gray Davis took office, appears poised
to repeal SP-1 at its May meeting. This would be a largely symbolic
act since Proposition 209, the 1996 ballot measure which banned
affirmative action statewide, supercedes it.
Still, the importance of symbolism in an issue centered around
impersonal statistics should not be underestimated. Symbols often
represent a change in the thinking of policymakers before more
significant changes can be implemented. By repealing SP-1, the
regents will make it crystal clear that banning affirmative action
was a mistake.
Ultimately, what the census numbers show us is that the future
of a multicultural America is rapidly approaching. In California,
we are getting a peek at that future.
Reactionary elements in this country will continue to attempt to
prevent progress, just as they have at the UC. But in the long run,
our society cannot remain viable if it continues to be stratified
along racial and ethnic lines. A white minority harboring social
and economic privilege over a majority underclass of people of
color can only be described with one word: apartheid.
The UC, which is arguably the most important public institution
in this state, is on the cutting edge of this demographic problem.
It’s time to think seriously about solving it. The rest of
the country will be watching.