SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Assembly has decided to let voters choose whether to repeal the state's ban on affirmative action programs.
The vote on Wednesday came after an emotional hours-long debate that highlighted tension between the state's Asian and black communities. Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low, who is of Chinese descent, said he received more than 3,000 emails and phone calls opposing the repeal.
He criticized the Assembly Black Caucus for not contacting him to discuss the issue. But he ended up voting for it, citing his commitment to social justice. The state Senate must still approve the measure before it would go to voters in November.
Students of Asian descent have been overrepresented at the state’s prestigious public universities.
Californians voted to end affirmative action in 1996.
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