Juneteenth highlights the ideal of equality under the law and renews debate over race-conscious policies in California. ACA 7 would overturn parts of Proposition 209 and allow race-based considerations in public university admissions. The author argues merit-based admissions and targeted investments in education, career training and affordability are better ways to expand opportunity for disadvantaged students.
Juneteenth And College Admissions: Why California Should Preserve Merit Over Racial Preferences
An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows A woman in a green Juneteenth shirt stands in front of a Juneteenth banner with the number 1865, and a table with historical artifacts and images, Image 2 shows Columbus City Hall lit up in red and green for Juneteenth
Communities across California and the nation will gather this Juneteenth to remember emancipation and to reaffirm a core democratic principle: all people should be equal before the law. That idea underpins a long-running debate in California about whether admissions and hiring should be based on merit or on race-conscious preferences.
Communities around California and the nation are gathering this weekend to celebrate Juneteenth, the traditional day marking liberation from slavery. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
What ACA 7 Would Change
Assembly Constitutional Amendment 7 (ACA 7) proposes to roll back the voter-approved restrictions enacted in 1996 under Proposition 209. That amendment would allow public institutions in California to consider race and other background characteristics in university admissions and certain government decisions—reversing the state-level ban on discrimination in public education and government employment.
In that 1996 ballot initiative, Californians rightly established a basic principle: The state shall not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public education or government employment. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Why Many Californians Oppose Race-Based Preferences
Supporters of ACA 7 say affirmative action remedies historical injustices and improves campus diversity. Those are important goals, but past injustices do not always reflect an individual applicant’s present circumstances. A well-off student might still benefit from race-based preference, while a low-income student of a different race could remain overlooked.
Policies that weaken merit-based admissions send the wrong message to students who have dedicated themselves to academic success. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Many Californians believe admissions should reward measurable achievement—academic performance, leadership, community involvement and extracurricular accomplishment—rather than demographic characteristics. Policies that look like quotas can undermine public trust, create resentment, and encourage people to see one another chiefly as oppressor or oppressed.
Who Might Be Most Affected
Asian American families in California, who often emphasize education and academic achievement, have voiced particular concern that race-conscious admissions could disadvantage students who earn admission through rigorous academic effort. The debate resonates strongly in communities that prize merit-based opportunity.
Constructive Alternatives
Rather than changing admissions rules by race, California should strengthen supports that raise opportunity for all students: invest in under-resourced K–12 schools, expand career and technical education, increase college affordability, and target resources to students from disadvantaged backgrounds so they can compete on an equal footing.
As a father and a legislator, I want the next generation to live in a state where achievement and effort are the primary currencies of opportunity. Californians should pursue equality of opportunity—by improving schools and reducing barriers to upward mobility—rather than engineering outcomes through racial preferences.
Tri Ta is a Republican member of the California Assembly representing the 70th District, which includes much of Little Saigon.
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