California's historic efforts to repair harms inflicted upon the descendants of formerly enslaved people moved forward with the signing of AB 1929 by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D - Inglewood) into law. AB 1929 aims to rectify racial disparities within career technical education (CTE) programs by requiring local educational agencies receiving CTE state grants and the California Community College Chancellor's Office to disaggregate program and performance accountability outcome data by race and gender.
There is currently an underrepresentation of descendants of formerly enslaved people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and related CTE programs at the high school and college levels. While existing law does establish programs and grants for CTE programs, there is no specific focus on addressing the underrepresentation of descendants of formerly enslaved people in these fields. This underrepresentation is a critical issue as it contributes to systemic racial disparities in STEM fields.
California has implemented various programs and grants to support and enhance CTE, such as the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program and the Strong Workforce Program, yet these initiatives lack a specific focus on addressing the underrepresentation of descendants of enslaved people in these career paths. These programs aim to bolster CTE in general, but do not include provisions or strategies to counteract the racial disparities faced by descendants of slavery.
"As a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, I am proud of our first in the nation work to address and repair the historic and continued harm caused by slavery in the United States," said Assemblymember McKinnor. "AB 1929 will better inform our future decision making to increase enrollment in CTE programs and make sure that the descendants of formerly enslaved people are participating in high quality CTE programs that open doors for careers in emerging professions."
AB 1929 is a part of the California Legislative Black Caucus' (CLBC) 2024 reparations legislative package that seeks to remove historic and current discriminatory laws and barriers impacting the descendants of formerly enslaved people. As part of the 2024-25 state budget, Assemblymember McKinnor and the CLBC were also able to secure $12 million, which will fund this year's CLBC legislative package and future outreach efforts to help Californians establish lineage necessary for reparations entitlements.
AB 1929 will take effect on January 1, 2025.