Dr. Gilkerson writes, "As Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District, I am excited to endorse California Senate Bill SB 1348, which proposes a state-level designation for Black-Serving Institutions of Higher Education. This bill is a critical step toward recognizing and supporting the significant role that institutions like ours play in serving Black students and fostering their success." She continued, "Our incredibly diverse district in the East Bay includes Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College. Over 30% of our students identify as Latinx, and all four colleges are either designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) or are on the path to that designation. 20.8% identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander, again with our colleges designated as Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) or on that path. The HSI and AANAPISI designations and resulting grants allow our colleges to support these historically marginalized communities with programs tailored specifically for these student cohorts. Frustratingly, there is no such designation for Black-Serving Institutions. And there should be."
Senate Bill (SB) 1348, which is making its way through the legislative process in Sacramento, would establish the Designation of California Black-Serving Institutions to recognize campuses that excel at providing academic resources to Black and African American students. While designations exist for Hispanic Serving Institutions and Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, there is no such designation for Black-Serving Institutions. SB 1348 will change that, which is why Chancellor Gilkerson wrote an article endorsing it.
The bill has now been approved by both the assembly and senate and as of September 9th it was presented to Governor Newsom for signing into state law. Each of our colleges meets the standards for designation as a Black Serving Institution so this law would create the opportunity for more funding and more resources to support Black student success. As Dr. Gilkerson noted, "By recognizing the Peralta Colleges as Black-Serving Institutions, we can better align state resources with our efforts to support and uplift our students."